The Lebanese military disclosed yesterday that it was one of their members who got hurt and got abducted by the Israeli army near the southern border town of Kfar Shouba. The situation has put the region in a hot water, due to the existing instability, and put the fragile ceasefire under an additional strain, the ceasefire which has been there since late November.
According to an official statement from the Lebanese army, contact was lost with the soldier on Sunday while he was in the Kfar Shouba area. The soldier, who was reportedly wearing civilian clothing at the time, was shot and injured by Israeli forces before being taken across the border into Israel. The army did not disclose the soldier’s identity but emphasized that efforts are underway to secure his release.
The Lebanese daily *Al-Akhbar* provided additional details, reporting that the soldier was injured near the Shanouh Farm, a disputed area on the outskirts of Kfar Shouba. The farm has long been a flashpoint for tensions between Lebanon and Israel, with both sides claiming sovereignty over the territory. Sources close to the matter indicated that the soldier’s family is awaiting his transfer to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has been mediating between the two sides.
This incident takes place after the ceasefire agreement concluded months of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah. The war that grew from this conflict resulted in severe damage across both territories during last September. Since the November 27 ceasefire Lebanese authorities have recorded 1,100 Israeli violations which resulted in the deaths of 85 individuals and injuries exceeding 280 other people.
Israel originally needed to evacuate all its troops from southern Lebanon by January 26 according to the ceasefire agreement terms. The rejection by Israel to pull out led to international agencies giving Israel an additional deadline of February 18. The extension of Israeli military authority has come under heavy criticism from Lebanese officials because their forces stay at five border outposts which hinders stability attempts in this region.
The abduction of the Lebanese soldier has deeply infuriated Lebanese people together with their officials while they see it as a flagrant breach against international laws and the original ceasefire agreement. Such occurrences create concerns among many stakeholders that renewed fighting will commence thus jeopardizing the achievements obtained since the peace agreement took effect.
The Lebanese authorities demand international community intervention to bring back their captured soldier. The authorities in Lebanon have asked for intensified participation from UNIFIL to stop tensions from getting out of control as well as to halt violations of the current truce terms.
Tempers are high on either side; everything seems fluid. Currently, all the efforts are concentrated on effective diplomacy for the soldier’s release and prevention of an incident that could develop into more extensive conflict. The situation stems from unresolved territorial and historical issues that have always flared tensions between Lebanon and Israel. Those are a significant threat to stability in the region.
Hopes are that it would be wiser and pacific heads that would have the final say as the whole world watches. And above all, that conflicts will never override dialogue in this instance. For populations from Southern Lebanon, it only reminds them that peace remains a break glass for an emergency, as their decades gone past could never let go of the scars of war just under the surface.
They would decide for the following days if this event becomes a footnote alongside the much longer tome of Lebanese-Israeli tensions, or if it becomes a gunpowder trail that ignites further conflict. At the moment, the soldier’s fate hangs like a fragile thread, as do hopes for a lasting peace in southern Lebanon.
