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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on June 9 that a fighter infiltrated Israeli territory from Lebanon and opened fire on Israeli troops in the Ramim Ridge area close to the border before he was shot dead.
No injuries were caused in the incident, according to the military, who noted that Israeli troops were scanning the area for possible additional fighters with the help of a drone from the Israeli Air Force.
Residents of the settlements of Misgav Am, Margaliot, and Manara in the Galilee Panhandle along the Blue Line — a 120-kilometer temporary border demarcation established by the United Nations in 2000 to verify the withdrawal of the IDF from southern Lebanon — were instructed to remain in their homes until further notice, and a nearby highway is closed to traffic.
Hezbollah has not yet commented on the IDF’s announcement. While several infiltrations into Israeli territory were reported amid the fighting in southern Lebanon after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, all such attacks were carried out by fighters from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas Movement.
The infiltration attempt could lead to broad regional escalation. Just earlier in the day, Ynet reported, citing senior Israeli officials, that Israel will strike the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in response to any attack on border settlements to test Iran’s reactions.
“We have ordered the military to maintain the equation we set for Hezbollah, and this will be the test. For any fire intended to cross the fence, toward our communities – we will fire at Dahieh, and we’ll see what Iran does,” a senior cabinet official was quoted as saying.
The officials who spoke to Ynet also pointed out that Iran had not responded or intervened on Hezbollah’s behalf despite continued Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, particularly in the coastal city of Tyre.
Over the weekend, Iran fired more than 20 ballistic missiles at Israel just hours after the IDF struck the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah. Israel responded with dozens of strikes, and on June 8, a pause in the fighting was announced, with the Islamic Republic warning against further strikes on Lebanon.
A report by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency that also came out during the day revealed that Iran is keen on restricting the IDF’s freedom of operations in Lebanon.
“If the Israelis and Americans believe they can, through ‘controlled escalation,’ make Iran and the Resistance Front predictable or limit the nature of Iran’s response, they are making a foolish mistake,” an Iranian military official told the news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Even if Hezbollah was not responsible for the latest infiltration attempt, Israel could respond by launching strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which is guaranteed to trigger a response from Iran. This scenario could very much unfold in the coming hours.
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