Lebanese army says it has returned fire at Israel for first timeWilliam Christou
William Christou is reporting for the Guardian from Beirut
The Lebanese army said that it returned fire at Israeli forces after one of its soldiers was killed in an Israeli strike, marking the first time that the Lebanese army participated in the fighting against Israel.
Until now, Hezbollah has been fighting Israel and the Lebanese army has made it clear that it is not a party to the conflict. The Lebanese army has denied claims it pulled back its forces from the border ahead of Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon on Monday night.
The Lebanese army said on a post on X that the army “returned fire at the sources of fire” after Israel targeted an army installation in the Lebanese border village of Bint Jbeil.
It’s not believed the exchange will lead to further fighting between Israel and the Lebanese army. The Lebanese state has called for an end to fighting between Hezbollah and Israel and says it does not want a war.