In Lebanon, in recent months, an ongoing effort has been taking place to remove landmines placed by the IDF on the Lebanese side of the border fence before the army's withdrawal. The Lebanese have been detonating them without warning and putting the citizens on the Israeli side at risk. 

Apart from the tremendous noise of the explosions, which occur only yards away from the Israeli border and shake the homes of the Israeli residents, they cause life-threatening rock shards that can result in injuries and damage to property. The head of the Metula Council addressed a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and demanded their immediate intervention.

Metula's security officer, Ricky Gino, said that "it is very dangerous and of course also very frightening because the explosions are heard right on the fence. There were also hikers who were hit by the stones that flew towards them." Gino explained that "We receive a certain warning range, but there is no warning before the explosion itself, and it makes everyone panic. The residents are informed, but it scares anew every time." At the same time, the director of the Nahal Ayon reserve also confirmed in a conversation with Yedioth Ahronoth reporters that in recent months, many panicked calls have been received from travelers who were surprised by the barrage of small stones that fell near them after hearing a loud explosion.

Israeli settlers in the border area of ​​Lebanon protested the continuous controlled explosion of mines in Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/beYqFH0qiC

— Everything you need to know (@Everything65687) June 17, 2023

The head of the Matula Council, David Azoulai, sharply criticized the conduct of the state and the UN. "It's a complete failure," he said. "It's simply a nightmare. I woke up at 7:00 in the morning with four explosions. You can't live like this. The Lebanese do what they want at zero distance from the residents' homes and the IDF stands helpless."

Azoulai described that "We have been absorbing this for almost a year and no one wants to address the issue. Every day I receive countless complaints from children and adults traumatized by explosions. It's like the Wild West."

Unlike other areas in southern Lebanon where mine clearance activities are carried out under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the detonations of the mines near the houses of Matula are carried out by a civil society hired by the Lebanese government. Azoulai further hinted that it is not for nothing that it is important for the Lebanese to remove the mines close to the Israeli border, and this at the direction of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which seeks to train ways to infiltrate Israel in times of war. Other officials in the village claimed that UNIFIL forces must take responsibility for the activity and carry out the sensitive works near the border themselves.