Lebanese demonstrators suffocated today, Friday, as the Israeli army fired smoke and tear gas canisters to disperse them during protests against Israeli actions at a border point in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese security sources.

Sources in the Internal Security Forces, the Lebanese Army Intelligence, and eyewitnesses told Xinhua that hundreds of Lebanese gathered today along the border line in the Kfar Shuba axis, to protest against Israeli bulldozers carrying out dredging, creating trenches, and installing barbed wire at the Barakat Baathiel point in the outskirts of the town of Kfar Shuba. border in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese side considers this point within a disputed border area, while Israel considers it within its side of the border line, according to the sources.

And she added that the Israeli army fired dozens of smoke, sound and tear gas canisters at the protesters, who tried several times to enter the other side of the border line, which resulted in the injury of about 12 Lebanese people who suffocated before they could be treated.

The sources added that the protesters managed to remove about 20 meters of barbed wire.

Subsequently, members of the United Nations forces operating in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), in coordination with the Lebanese army, worked to build a human dam along the barbed wire fence, and prevented the Lebanese protesters from storming the border line.

A state of tension prevailed between the Lebanese and Israeli armies in the region, as the Lebanese army deployed dozens of soldiers equipped with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, while the Israeli army pushed an armored force that included tanks and armored personnel carriers, which took up combat positions in the hills overlooking the border line.

The Mufti of Hasbaya, Marjeyoun, Sheikh Hassan Dallah, delivered a speech on behalf of the protesters, in which he called on UNIFIL to work to prevent Israeli attacks and stop the dredging that changes the features of the region.

Dallah said in his speech, "This land is Lebanese, and its owners have owned title deeds for a long time. What is happening by the Israeli army is an unjustified occupation, and we will not allow it, regardless of the sacrifices."

The protesters held Friday prayers along the border fence in this axis.

Commenting on what is happening in Kfar Shuba, UNIFIL Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti stated, "UNIFIL peacekeepers are on the ground, and have been on the ground since the beginning to ensure the continuation of the cessation of hostilities, to establish calm and to help ease tensions."

He urged "the parties to use UNIFIL's coordination mechanisms effectively to prevent misunderstandings and violations, and to contribute to maintaining stability in the region."

The border line separating Lebanon and Israel, which is about 120 kilometers long, witnesses from time to time cases of alert and tension exchanges, which UNIFIL is working to curb.