Israel Mulls Building Wall along Kfarkila Border

Israel is considering walling off part of its border with Lebanon, fearing sniper fire at newly-built apartment blocks in the frontier town of Metulla, Israeli military sources said on Tuesday.

They said Israel was liaising with Lebanese and U.N. officials with a view to erecting an anti-sniper wall along a kilometer-long section of the frontier between Metulla and Kfarkila, a Lebanese village which at one point had a high-rise casino adjacent to the existing border fence.

Any final decision on such a project would be coordinated with officials in Lebanon, the sources said.

The sources said Metulla farmers have come under sniper fire in the past and frequently have stones hurled at them from the Lebanese side.

The frontier is festooned with flags of Hizbullah and portraits of its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

The Israeli army confirmed in a statement that it was looking at ways to beef up border security but did not give details.

"The IDF is working with UNIFIL and the Lebanese army to examine various options to reduce friction," it said.

UNIFIL spokesman Neeraj Singh also confirmed that the subject was under discussion.

"Given the sensitivity of the area, we consider it imperative to reach agreed solutions with both the sides on practical measures to ease sporadic tensions, minimize the scope for any possible misunderstandings and build confidence among the parties," he told Agence France Presse on Tuesday.

"To this end, we are looking at different ideas at this stage," he said.