Lebanese officials have confiscated Israeli goods found in commercial centers in the country. Among them were kitchen towels from Golf & Co. and PROMAX sealing tape, Ynet reported on Tuesday.
Lebanon’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that it was made aware of the “presence of goods produced by companies affiliated with the Israeli enemy.”
Officials then visited the businesses and several warehouses across Lebanon to remove the products.
“Persons of interest were summoned for an investigation to determine the source of the goods,” said the statement, adding, “The matter is being examined legally.”
Israel and Lebanon remain in a state of war.
Last October, then-Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a U.S.-mediated maritime border deal with Beirut, calling it “a tremendous achievement for the State of Israel and for the government of Israel.”
Lapid suggested that by agreeing to the deal, Lebanon, an “enemy state,” was effectively recognizing Israel, and noted that Washington was providing Jerusalem with security and economic guarantees.
The deal drew a border between the two countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs) based on a boundary known as Line 23 and awarded a disputed area of around 840 square kilometers (324 square miles) to Lebanon while recognizing Israel’s claim to the Karish gas field and to a share of the royalties from the section of the Qana field that extends into the Jewish state’s EEZ.
Since then, Hezbollah has upped its aggressive maneuvering.
Armed Hezbollah terrorists were recently spotted patrolling the border between Lebanon and Israel in clear violation of a legally binding U.N. resolution. Last month, the IDF foiled an attempt by the Iranian-backed terrorist group, which effectively controls Lebanon, to damage the border fence.
In early April, Hezbollah pitched two tents a few meters on the Israeli side of the Blue Line, the U.N.-delineated border marking Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. The Hezbollah position, located across from an IDF post, was reportedly manned by three to eight armed terrorists.
On March 15, a terrorist who infiltrated from Lebanon planted a roadside bomb in northern Israel that severely wounded a motorist. Shareef ad-Din, 21, from the Israeli Arab town of Salem, was wounded when the explosive device detonated behind a road barrier near the Megiddo Junction, some 18 miles southeast of Haifa.
Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant toured the Mount Dov region, where he was updated on “defensive efforts being made along the border and the progress of the construction of the barrier.
In a Hebrew-language video statement, Gallant warned Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah “not to make a mistake.”
“If … an escalation or conflict develops here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power, and erode every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we have to,” Gallant said.
“Don’t mistake us: We don’t want war but we are ready to protect our citizens, our soldiers, and our sovereignty,” added Gallant.
