Last month, Hizballah operatives set up two tents on the southern side of the Blue Line, the de-facto border the UN established between Israel and Lebanon after the IDF withdrew completely from the country in 2000. Jerusalem filed a formal complaint with the UN, which in turn sent its peacekeepers to investigate. So far, only one of the tents has been removed. The Institute for National Security Studies explains:
Hizballah’s erection of the tents and its determination not to remove them reflect a recent rise in the organization’s confidence and its increased boldness vis-à-vis Israel, along with a willingness to take risks. Incidents from the last few months reflect this clearly, [such as] the terrorist attack at Megiddo Junction by a Palestinian attacker who infiltrated from the northern border (March 13), and the rocket fire from Lebanon (April 6).
It seems that Hizballah is spurred by its mistaken understanding that the internal difficulties in Israel since the establishment of the current government reflect weakness, and that Israel does not have an interest at the current time in conducting a campaign against it. In our understanding, Hizballah is also not interested in a large-scale military campaign but interprets the developments as an opportunity for it to improve the balance of deterrence against the IDF and to expand its presence in southern Lebanon and its grip on the border.
Israel must use every possible means to remove the Hizballah tents at Har Dov, and for two main reasons. On the ground, Israel must stop Hizballah’s efforts to expand its presence next to the border. Hizballah is trying gradually to create a new reality, while penetrating into Israel’s sovereign territory—a situation that Israel cannot accept. On the strategic level, Israel must demonstrate force and determination in order to improve the balance of deterrence versus Hizballah in Israel’s favor, after it has eroded recently.
Read more on Institute for National Security Studies: https://www.inss.org.il/hezbollah-tents/