Israeli president warns Hezbollah from Lebanon border as fears of conflict mount

Israel's president has warned Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon against engaging in conflict with his country’s army, amid months of rising tensions between Israel and the militant group.

"They [the Lebanese] definitely don’t deserve the involvement of Hezbollah which undermines their stability and wellbeing," Isaac Herzog said in a video message posted to Twitter on Wednesday, as he stood at Israel’s frontier with Lebanon.

"Most importantly, I want to tell our enemies, especially the guys from Hezbollah on the other side of the border, don’t be mistaken. The IDF [Israeli army] is strong, it is united, it is capable and will protect and defend our sovereignty, and the security and wellbeing of the people of Israel," he added.

Herzog also accused Tehran of meddling in Lebanese affairs, in reference to its backing of Hezbollah, calling Iran a "spell" that "kills and ruins."

President @Isaac_Herzog’s statement while visiting IDF soldiers at an outpost on the Israel-Lebanon border opposite Hezbollah: pic.twitter.com/Z2x3kv4Rv8

— Office of the President of Israel (@IsraelPresident) August 2, 2023

Hezbollah earlier this year set up tents in the Shebaa Farms, land claimed by Lebanon but long occupied by Israel. The group said this came after Israel continued building a fence around the northern part of Ghajar, an Arab town which straddles the two countries’ border and which Israel occupies the southern portion of.

Mediation efforts have failed to remove the tents – to the worry of Israel, whose deepening internal political crisis over the government's controversial judicial overhaul bill has seen reservists threaten to quit the army.

Israeli officials have made repeated threats against Lebanon, but Hezbollah – which acts outside of Lebanese state control and operates its own paramilitary – has also warned Israel against forcibly removing the tents or initiating an attack on Lebanese soil.

Hezbollah and Israel have fought several wars, the last being in the summer of 2006. Acts of violence have happened since then, including an improvised explosion at the border last month which left several Hezbollah members wounded.

Amid the tensions, the neighbouring countries signed a landmark, US-brokered maritime border agreement in October last year which allows them to exploit natural resources in offshore fields.

Although drilling has not yet started, Lebanon is hoping to find large quantities of natural gas to help with its unprecedented financial and economic crisis.