IDF: Weather, tech defect allowed Lebanese man to cross into Israel

A mix of human and technological errors made it possible for a Lebanese man to successfully cross into Israel on Sunday despite all of the security measures in place, the IDF said Tuesday.

In the army’s initial review, part of the blame was given to inclement weather, although this sort of weather is common for the season. The errors filtered down through both the intelligence reporting and collection mechanisms.

The IDF said its probe would continue and help security forces learn lessons to avoid a similar incident.

The incident was especially embarrassing because it was revealed publicly by Lebanese media after the man was back in Lebanon, and it was unclear whether the IDF would have otherwise even known of the breach.

Lebanon reveals Israel's slip-up

According to IDF sources, the individual appears to have mental and emotional issues, and has crossed the border many times over a 20-year period.

There is an unspecified dialogue ongoing regarding how to best handle this individual with “communication channels” – likely some mix of UNIFIL and Lebanese authorities – to avoid a recurrence.

Last week, a different Lebanese man crossed the border but was quickly caught by security forces.

Recent weeks have also seen a number of small-scale disturbances between the IDF, UNIFIL and the Lebanese army regarding security in areas where the border between the countries is still blurred due to complex conditions in the field, even if on paper the UN set a demarcation line years ago.