The Israel-Lebanon border. Residents of northern Israel say they have seen watchtowers appear on the Israeli-Lebanese border in recent days. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org –  Residents of northern Israel have expressed concern over watchtowers they say have appeared on the Israeli-Lebanese border in recent days. The watchtowers are situated inside Lebanese territory, near the border fence. Locals fear that although the watchtowers were built by the Lebanese military, they could be manned by Hezbollah terrorists in future conflicts.

Nine such watchtowers have been spotted so far, in an area stretching from Rosh Hanikra to Moshav Zarit. According to Israeli defense officials, these are ordinary watchtowers, similar to those along the Israeli-Jordanian border. But residents fear Hezbollah will take over the positions, enabling fighters to observe military forces in Israeli territory or even shoot into Israeli border communities.

“This is a warning sign,” Kobi Cohen, a resident of Moshav Zarit, told the Walla news website. “There is only one group that could have put up these watchtowers, and that’s Hezbollah.”

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said the military is using operational and intelligence means to monitor the situation.