Israeli army fire disturbs ‘cautious calm’ in southern Lebanon

BEIRUT

The Israeli army opened fire on a civilian car near the border in southern Lebanon on Saturday, causing no casualties, but disrupting the area's cautious calm for the second day in a row.

“Israeli enemy forces opened fire on a Rapid car belonging to citizen M.A. in the Al-Ouazzani area of Marjayoun District,” the Lebanese official National News Agency reported.

“Five bullets hit the car without causing any injuries,” the news agency said, noting that “a Lebanese army patrol arrived and evacuated the citizen from the area."

In another incident, the media outlet reported that the Israeli army opened fire in the air to “intimidate” farmers working on their land in the Wadi Hunayn border area.

“The cautious calm in southern Lebanon was also disturbed by the sound of an Israeli missile exploding in the airspace of the towns of Meiss Ej Jabal and Blida in the Marjayoun district at 2:30 a.m. (0030GMT),” according to the news agency.

Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

The four-day humanitarian pause between the Israeli army and Palestinian group Hamas came into effect on Friday morning in all areas of the Gaza Strip, temporarily stopping attacks for prisoner exchange and aid.

Hezbollah said Wednesday that it would abide by the four-day humanitarian pause between Israel and Hamas in Gaza even though it was not part of the deal.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi