Three suspected Hezbollah fighters injured in blast on border with Israel

Tension has been rising on the Israel-Lebanon border in recent weeks

The Israeli army said it had thwarted an attempt to attack the border barrier with Lebanon, while Hezbollah said the Israelis had attacked the three men. Photo: Israeli military

Three members of Lebanon's Hezbollah were wounded in an explosion on the border with Israel on Wednesday, a Lebanese security source told The National.

A Hezbollah spokesman confirmed the incident, although he did not say whether the injured were members of the powerful Iran-backed party and militia.

“There has been an incident, and there was live fire from the Israeli side, but I cannot confirm what kind it was,” Mohammad Afif Naboulsi told The National.

“There are confirmed injuries, but no deaths.”

A Lebanese security source told The National that the incident occurred near the village of Boustan and that the injuries suffered were “quite minimal”.

“They didn't even require hospitalisation,” he said.

Surveillance video showed four people approaching the border fence, followed by an explosion which saw them scatter, another security source said.

The Israeli army said a number of people had approached the border and tried to “sabotage the security fence in the area”.

They were spotted immediately and troops “used means to push them away”, spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Twitter.

The Israeli army later published footage of the incident on Twitter.

Unifil, the UN peacekeeping force along the Israel-Lebanon border, said it was “aware of disturbing reports about an incident along the Blue Line”.

“We are looking into it,” the mission said. “In the meantime, the situation is extremely sensitive.”

The border incident took place on the day of the 17th anniversary of the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

In a pre-planned speech Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declined to comment on the incident before his party had investigated it, but called on Israel to end its occupation of areas claimed by Lebanon as sovereign territory.

Tension between Israel and Hezbollah have been rising over Ghajar, a town in an area near the Golan Heights that is claimed by Lebanon but occupied by Israel.

The town has been de facto annexed by Israel, a move never recognised by the international community.

"Ghajar is recognised by the UN and the West as Lebanese," Mr Nasrallah said in his speech. "It is the responsibility of all Lebanese to end the occupation of Ghajar after Israel annexed it officially this year."

Last week violence flared after Israel began constructing a fence north of Ghajar on the Lebanese side of the Unifil-demarcated border, prompting a rocket launch from Lebanon, although no group took responsibility for the attack.

Israel fired a barrage of missiles in response. No deaths or injuries were reported on either side.