Melhem Khalaf, a Greek Orthodox member of the Lebanese parliament, says the repeated entry of Israeli settlers into territories in the country’s south occupied by the Israeli army is “not a mere border incident, but a direct assault on Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a dangerous attempt to impose a new reality by force”, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement reported by the country’s National News Agency, Khalaf says the fact that civilians are involved “does not change the nature of these actions” backed by the Israeli forces.

Khalaf condemns the “aggressive actions” and calls on both the UN and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) to take immediate action to stop the settlers, officially document the incidents, and report them to the UN Security Council.