Mere Rhetoric: Lebanon Threatening To Go To War With Israel Over Israeli Border Violation That Didn't Happen

On Wednesday there was fire exchanged between Israeli and Lebanese troops at the northern border. On Thursday Lebanese Prime Minister Saniora basically told the Lebanese Air Force to be ready to start a war - ostensibly because Israel was violating Lebanese soverignty.

Except that isn't true:

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) accepted on Thursday Israel's version of the events that concluded in an exchange of fire between the Israel Defense Forces and the Lebanese Army at the border late Wednesday. UNIFIL patrolled the area around Israel's and Lebanon's shared border, photographed the site, and concluded that IDF troops operated entirely within Israeli territory. The Lebanese Army on Wednesday fired warning shots at IDF troops, claiming that the troops had entered Lebanese territory. The incident occurred north of the border fence that Israel erected several dozen meters within Israeli territory, but south of the actual international border between the two countries.

It's understandable though - the Lebanese army doesn't really know their southern terrain very well, given that it's basically Hezbollah occupied territory. So this is all very new to them.

References:
* UNIFIL confirms Israel's version: IDF troops didn't enter Lebanon [Ha'aretz]
* Lebanese Air Force To Go To War With IAF? [MR]

Previously:
* Another Day, Another Blood Libel Carried By Arab Press
* The French Will Fire On WHO? They're Going To Do WHAT?
* European Definition of Disproportionate - We Think We Get It

About

Omri Ceren is a PhD student studying Rhetoric at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication. He lives in downtown Los Angeles.
Email: omri@mererhetoric.com
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