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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Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron will clash in a rematch this weekend, as Taylor once again aims to take the super-lightweight titles from the undisputed champion. Taylor’s Dublin homecoming was spoiled by Cameron in May, as the Englishwoman beat the Irish icon on points to retain all the belts. In doing so, Cameron stayed unbeaten and handed Taylor the first loss of her professional career. Now, 37-year-old Taylor bids for revenge, with some fans believing that the undisputed lightweight champion may walk away from boxing, whatever the result. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? Cameron vs Taylor 2 is set to take place on Saturday 25 November at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The main card is due to begin at 7pm GMT (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are then due at around 10.30pm GMT (3.30pm PT, 5.30pm CT, 6.30pm ET). How can I watch it? The fight will stream live on Dazn in the UK. A subscription to the streaming service is available here at a cost of £9.99 per month. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Taylor – 6/4 Cameron – 4/7 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Chantelle Cameron (C) vs Katie Taylor (undisputed women’s super-lightweight titles) Paddy Donovan vs Danny Ball (welterweight) Gary Cully vs Reece Mould (lightweight) Skye Nicolson (C) vs Lucy Wildheart (WBC women’s interim featherweight title) John Cooney vs Liam Gaynor (Celtic super-featherweight title) Zelfa Barrett vs Costin Ion (super-featherweight) Thomas Carty vs Dan Garber (heavyweight) Emmet Brennan Jamie Morrissey (Celtic light-heavyweight title) Giorgio Visioli vs Lee Anthony Sibley (lightweight)

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An optical illusion featuring a hidden number which everyone is seeing differently is confusing social media. Twitter user @benonwine posted the illusion of a black and white circle that shows hidden numbers which users can’t seem to agree on. The zig-zag pattern of the circle tricks the eye into thinking the image is moving, and the Twitter user captioned the picture: "DO you see a number? If so, what number?" Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter The replies are varied, with one user commenting: “45 283...and what's the catch? Should I book an appointment with my GP?” Another said: “I can only see 528. Does that mean anything about my eyesight?” Another replied: “1528? What’s going on here?” Another user shared what number you see may be down to how your eyes work. He said: “I'm guessing the numbers you see depends on your 'contrast sensitivity' (different from what a standard eye measures).“It can be tested by opticians. Worth doing if you're struggling, as it can affect your ability to see at night, or in rain, fog, etc.” According to the Vision Centre, “contrast sensitivity is the ability to distinguish between an object and the background behind it. "Contrast sensitivity is different from visual acuity, which measures how clear your vision is at a given distance.” Amidst the debate and theories, one user joked the number is the “number of parties Johnson has had since the first lockdown”. What number do you see? 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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