As Lebanon falls deeper and deeper into an economic black hole, the border with Israel has in recent weeks seen several worrisome incidents.
From weapons smuggling to infiltration and rocket attacks, the fragile boundary is under fire.
Locked in a decades-old stalemate between the country’s rival factions, Lebanon’s economy has been pulverized.
More than half the population is now living below the poverty line, with barely enough money to buy basic necessities, including food and medicine.
Riots against the government have become an almost daily occurrence, and violence has become routine at gas stations, banks, pharmacies and grocery stores.
Though the two countries are officially at war, Israel has offered aid to Lebanon more than once.
The IDF has also been closely watching the situation, for fear it will deteriorate even more.
Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi and Defense Minister Benny Gantz have warned that Israel will not tolerate any violence spilling over the border due to the crisis.
The military has said it does not think Hezbollah will attack Israel, but it is preparing itself should smaller events lead to an outbreak of violence.
Recent incidents have seen the IDF respond in a guarded manner, reminiscent of how it has acted against Hamas in the Gaza Strip when it was trying to prevent a deterioration with terrorist groups.
If a rocket was fired from the coastal enclave toward southern Israel but did not claim any casualties, the IDF would retaliate with tank or artillery fire against empty Hamas locations. It would not aim to kill or injure any Hamas operatives.
On the northern border, the IDF has been busy with its war-between-wars campaign against Hezbollah and Iranian entrenchment. Two attacks in Syria attributed by foreign sources to Israel took place just this week.
At the same time, Israel was targeted by rocket fire from southern Lebanon. Earlier this week, Palestinian militants, possibly from Hamas, fired rockets from al-Qulaylah in response to tensions on the Temple Mount during Tisha Be’av.
Israel retaliated by firing two dozen tank shells toward the source of the rocket fire. But the position was empty, with the militants having fled shortly after they launched the rockets.
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