Israel started building a security wall along its border with Lebanon.

The work, which began April 30 and is expected to last several weeks, is being carried out with the coordination of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the Lebanese army, according to reports.

Its purpose, the Israel Defense Forces told the French news agency AFP, is “to avoid friction on the border.”

The wall, slated to be about a mile long, will protect the northern border town of Metulla from attacks from the Lebanese side of the border.

Israel and Lebanon technically remain at war. During the Second Lebanon War in 2006 against the terrorist group Hezbollah, 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis were killed. — jta