UN mission urges Lebanon, Israel to avoid escalation after border clash

BEIRUT, July 13: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Wednesday urged Lebanon and Israel to stop any action that may lead to an escalation in southern Lebanon, a few hours after three Hezbollah members were reportedly injured by an Israeli drone attack near the two countries' border.

"The situation is very sensitive now," said Candice Ardell, the deputy director of UNIFIL Media Office, in a statement carried by the National News Agency.

Earlier in the day, an Israeli drone attacked Hezbollah members as they were setting up a watch tower on the outskirts of Lebanon's southern border town of Yarine, injuring three of them, the Elnashra news website reported.

However, Israel said it foiled an attempt by several Lebanese people to damage the border fence between the two countries.

"The UN peacekeeping mission is aware of disturbing reports of an incident along the Blue Line, and we are monitoring the situation," said Ardell.

The Blue Line is a demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations in 2000 to determine whether Israel had fully withdrawn from Lebanon.

The Lebanese-Israeli border witnessed increasing tensions recently over two Hezbollah-erected tents that Israel claimed were built on its territory.

Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, fought a month-long war in 2006 that ended in a UN-sponsored cease-fire.