The little village of Ghajar has been a sore point between Israel and Lebanon for years, split in two by the border between Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. But after a long period of calm, the dispute has begun to heat up again. Israel has been building a wall around the half of the village in Lebanese territory, triggering condemnation from the Lebanese militiant force Hezbollah, accusing Israel of moving to annex the site. A recent exchange of fire in the area raised alarm that the dispute could trigger violence. The growing tensions over Ghajar add to the jitters along the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah fought a destructive 34-day war in the summer of 2006. The two sides have studiously avoided outright battle ever since, despite frequent flare-ups of tension -- but each constantly says a new conflict could erupt at any time. The dispute over a small village in the green hills where Lebanon, Israel and Syria meet brings a new point of worry amid broader unrest. The West Bank has seen increased bloodshed the past week, with a major two-day offensive that Israel says targeted Palestinian militants. Within Israel, moves by the hard-right government to overhaul the judicial system have sparked large anti-government protests. “This is Lebanese land, not Israeli,” said Lebanese shepherd Ali Yassin Diab, pointing to the half of Ghajar being enclosed by the Israeli wall as he grazed his sheep and goats nearby. Members of the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL watched from a distance. Yassin used to take his herds to drink at a pond there. He now has to buy water for his sheep. The village’s division is an unusual byproduct of the decades of conflict between Israel and its neighbors. Ghajar was once part of Syria but was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war as part of Syria’s Golan Heights, which Israel occupied and later annexed, with little world recognition. In the 1980s and 1990s, Ghajar’s population expanded north into nearby Lebanese territory, held by Israel in its 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon. When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in May 2000, U.N. surveyors delineating temporary borders ruled that Ghajar’s northern part was in Lebanon, its southern part in the Golan, dividing it in two. Six years later, Israeli troops moved into the northern part of Ghajar during the Israel-Hezbollah war. They have occupied it since, preventing people from entering it from Lebanon. Under the truce that ended the 2006 fighting, Israel agreed to withdraw from Ghajar, but it wanted to clinch an arrangement to keep Hezbollah from entering the village. Most of Ghajar’s around 3,000 residents hold Israeli nationality — some of them alongside Lebanese — and they largely identify as Syrians. Last year, Israel started erecting a concrete wall around the northern part of the village. It also began encouraging Israeli tourism to the village. In apparent reply to the near finishing of the wall, Hezbollah set up two tents nearby, including one in the area of Chebaa Farms, which both Israel and Lebanon claim as its territory. It is not clear what is inside the tents. Israel filed a complaint with the United Nations, claiming the tents were several dozen meters (yards) inside of Israeli territory. Hezbollah says the tents are in Lebanese territory. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat told the AP that Israel has turned to UNIFIL and “other countries” to resolve the situation but did not identify the countries and did not immediately comment on the wall in Ghajar. On Monday, UNIFIL’s commander relayed an Israeli request to Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister and parliament speaker to remove the tent. They responded that Israel should withdraw its troops from the Lebanese part of Ghajar, according to Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech Wednesday night that Israel cordoned off Ghajar before Hezbollah set up its tents. “Over the past days, it became clear that they (Israel) have annexed it,” Nasrallah said. He added: “The land of Ghajar will not be left for Israel, and certainly not Chebaa Farms and Kfar Chouba,” another border area claimed by both countries. A female resident of Ghajar, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said the villagers consider themselves Syrian but their main concern “is to stay in Ghajar, in this village, living in peace and security. No matter under who rules.” “There is a (border) line that was drawn by the United Nations. Why are they allowed to cross it while we as Lebanese citizens cannot?” Mohammed Rammal, the mayor of the nearby Lebanese border village of Oddeissi, said of Israel’s presence in Ghajar. Last week, an anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon near Ghajar, with some fragments landing in Lebanon and others inside Israeli territory. Israel fired shells on the outskirts of the nearby village of Kfar Chouba. On Wednesday, an explosion elsewhere near the border slightly wounded at least three Hezbollah members. Nasrallah said the case is still under investigation. Late last month, Hezbollah said it shot down an Israel drone flying over a village in southern Lebanon. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Joe Biden’s special envoy for energy, Amos Hochstein, during which they discussed “regional issues,” according to the Israeli prime minister’s office. Some Israeli media said Netanyahu and Hochstein, who helped last year broker a maritime border deal between Israel and Lebanon, discussed tensions along the border with Lebanon. “We continue to monitor and engage with authorities in Lebanon and Israel on the issue of Ghajar,” UNIFIL spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel said. She added that UNFIL has repeatedly called on Israel to stop its works north of the line and that Israel’s occupation of northern Ghajar violates the U.N. Security council resolution that ended the 2006 war. Israel considers Hezbollah its most serious immediate threat, estimating it has some 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel. During a tour by an Associated Press team near Ghajar this week, more patrols by U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese army along the border were visible. Residents in nearby villages appeared defiant and going on with life as usual during the summer season, when many expatriates come to spend time with their families. In Lebanese media, many analysts say neither side wants a new war. But Lebanese political analyst Faisal Abdul-Sater warned that the situation is very dangerous as Israel and Hezbollah are on alert. “Whoever fires the first shot will bear the responsibility for the consequences,” he said. ___ AP correspondent Josef Federman contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa Stock market today: Asian shares buoyed by Wall Street's winning week as inflation eases For a group of Ukrainian women, painting is a form of therapy to help them cope with loss

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Liverpool defender Andy Robertson insists the players have no concerns about “ultimate professional” Mohamed Salah’s immediate future as speculation of a potential world-record bid from Saudi Arabia continues. Pro League champions Al-Ittihad last week had a £150million offer rejected by Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon, who now considers the matter closed. However, that has not done anything to prevent suggestions they could return with a bid around the £200m mark for the 31-year-old, who is the world’s highest-profile Arab player. Manager Jurgen Klopp reiterated the club’s stance after the 3-0 win over Aston Villa, in which Salah scored and had a hand in the other two goals, and Robertson said the squad were united in their belief there would be no departure before Thursday’s closure of the Saudi transfer window. “For us we block that out, Mo blocks it out. We let other people talk about that,” he said. “For us there is no concern. For us Mohamed Salah is a Liverpool player and we believe that is what is going to be the case for the foreseeable future. “He’s the ultimate professional. He does what it does, he is one of the best players in the world and he is professional. “He lets other people do the talking, let’s other people say what they have to say, but he’s always been committed to Liverpool and you saw that with the performance he put in. “The club’s position was that it knocked it back, it rejected the bid and that is what the stance was. For us there is no concern. For us Mohamed Salah is a Liverpool player and we believe that is what is going to be the case for the foreseeable future Liverpool defender Andy Robertson “For me Mo has been Mo all week. He’s not been affected; I’ve been around him a lot and he’s not been affected by anything. “Mo has reacted in the best way possible and I think you have seen that with his performance, I think he was pretty special.” At every media appearance over the last two weeks Klopp and the players have had to deal with questions about the future of Salah, who has two years left on a contract signed last summer which made him the highest-paid player in the club’s history. But Robertson said it had not been destabilising or affected the squad’s focus as they made it 10 points from a possible 12 to head into the international break in third place in the Premier League. “Look, there is speculation around a lot of players and it is how we deal with it and he (Salah) has obviously done well,” he added. “Our squad is what it is and that’s the squad that is going to go forward now with the window shut. “It is about getting the most out of the squad, it is about looking forward to the season ahead and trying to do better than what we did last season.” After some criticism over recruitment following the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, coincidentally to Saudi Pro League clubs, Liverpool’s squad looks refreshed and re-energised. World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, both signed before the start of pre-season, are starting to look like the long-term future of midfield they were brought in to be, with the latter scoring his first goal for the club against Villa in an impressive all-round performance in a comfortable victory. “I thought it was probably our best performance of the season so far, which is pleasing,” said Robertson. “I thought they (the midfield) were excellent, but to be honest I thought every player was excellent – even the subs who came on – it was a complete squad performance.” On Szoboszlai’s goal, a sweetly-struck shot from the edge of the penalty area for which he built a reputation at previous club RB Leipzig, the Scotland captain added: “We’ve maybe not seen as much of it in games as we have seen in training but he’s got a pretty nice strike on him, that’s for sure. “Technically he is a very gifted player, we’ve seen that already and I think he’ll have a big career here and we are looking forward to being a part of it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Police launch investigation following alleged assault on Roy Keane Marcus Trescothick backs struggling England pair to get back among the runs Football rumours: Door not closed on Joao Palhinha’s Bayern Munich move

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Both Bad Bunny and Logan Paul have impressed WWE audiences since making their in-ring debuts and now WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley has revealed why both celebrities have found so much success in wrestling. "Bad Bunny, he loves WWE. He watched it growing up, he loves everything about it, like he's a true fan. So him coming into WWE, I didn't really have a problem with because you could see the passion behind it. Like he was so excited, he trained, he got better, and he just like persevered and wanted to have a fantastic match. And him and Damian Priest, I want to say, had the best match at Backlash. It was absolutely insane. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "And then Logan Paul, he is such an athlete. Yes, he's not around as much and I'm not entirely sure how much he does love the business, but there's that little bit of passion where you could see how excited he gets when he is in the ring and that's cool to see. "So whoever it is that comes in next, I don't know who I would want to come in as long as they respect the business and they have passion behind it because so many of us dedicate years of our life and throw away time with our family to be here doing the one thing that we love. So a little bit of respect on the wrestling world would be fantastic."‘ WWE brings Money In The Bank to The O2 in London on Saturday 1st July. For tickets visit: https://www.wwe.com/event/money-in-the-bank. Fans can tune in on the WWE Network.’Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A mother was reduced to happy tears after detailing her son's first experience at a brothel, thanks to a famed influencer. In a viral clip posted to TikTok, Willem Powerfish (@powerfish_real) took a paralysed man named Jake, his mother Gail, his carer Banish and his best friend Kyle on Jake's first fishing trip in 12 years. Willem asked Gail about Jake's romantic relationships since his tragic car accident that left him losing all control over his body other than his mouth and and movement of his thumbs. He went on to suggest that they should take him to the brothel, telling Jake: "You can decide if you like the woman or not. If you don't like it, you don't have to do it." A snippet shows Jake being taken into the establishment, with Willem giving a thumbs up to the camera. Following Jake's experience with a sex worker, his mother said: "She said she did a few things, he got very erect so she got on top and he did the whole thing." "Unreal," she added. @powerfish_real #fyp #powerfish Speaking to the camera, Gail said: "I hope it gets through to some people that even though we have brain injuries or impairments, we still have needs." Many support workers flocked to the clip to thank the influencer, with one writing: "As a support worker of quite a few young people both female and male in all seriousness, this is so so important for so many reasons." Another added: "As a support worker, this is needed. It’s the thing people don’t talk about." "Legend status has been achieved by the Powerfish once again," a third penned. One noted: "The play-by-play from the Mom is WILD." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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