The Israeli military said on Tuesday the Lebanese-owned cows that had “crossed the border” would be returned to Lebanon.
The statement comes 3 days after Lebanon accused Israeli soldiers of stealing 7 cows that belong to herders in the border village of Wazzani.
“For 20 years and more these cows are there, from the time of our grandparents, and this is the first time that someone has taken them,” Kamal Al-Ahmad, who said he lost 3 cows, told Reuters.
The Lebanese Army stated on Tuesday that it had informed UNIFIL that the Israeli military had seized 7 cows in the Wazzani area.
This prompted UNIFIL to launch an investigation into the incident and its head of mission and force commander, Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col, to initiate contact with the Israeli military to guarantee the return of the cows to their owners in Lebanon.
The Israeli army, which maintains that it did not seize the cows and claims they crossed the border on their own, said in a statement on the same day that the cows “will be returned in accordance with the relevant authorities.”
Source: @UNIFIL_
Considering that each cow is worth around $2,000 today, their loss would deal a great blow to their owners, especially during the current financial crisis Lebanon is going through.
Notably, Israeli military activity has been on the rise recently. On Tuesday, for instance, Israeli tanks crossed the Blue Line and the border barbed wire into Lebanese territory while Israeli soldiers deployed on the border.
