1 Killed, 1 Hurt as Israel Fires at Protesters on Lebanese Border

A Lebanese protester was killed and another was wounded Friday afternoon when two Israeli shells landed near them as they were trying to cross the Lebanese border into the Israeli settlement of Metulla, Lebanon’s National News Agency said.

“The Israeli army went on alert, trying to prevent them from advancing towards the fence, which prompted the enemy to fire two shells towards the young men,” NNA added.

“A large force from the Lebanese Army and security forces immediately arrived at the site and prevented the young men from advancing, erecting checkpoints to stop any citizen from advancing towards the barbed wire,” the agency said.

The Israeli army meanwhile said that its tanks fired warning shots toward “a number of rioters who crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.”

“The suspects sabotaged the fence and set a fire in the area before returning to Lebanese territory,” it added.

Media reports identified the slain young man as the 21-year-old Mohammed Tahan, who hailed from the southern coastal town of Adloun.

On social media, other Lebanese and Palestinian activists said that they were heading to the border area to take part in new protests.

The protest came in solidarity with the Palestinians who are engaged in a major confrontation with Israel in Gaza, Jerusalem, the West Bank and several Arab and mixed towns inside Israel.

It also comes hours after three rockets were fired from south Lebanon towards the sea off northern Israel and after Israel reportedly carried out an airstrike on a vehicle carrying arms on the Lebanese-Syrian border.