A Hezbollah operative who fired at an IDF force in a close-quarters encounter in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, was killed overnight, a security source reported.
A Hezbollah operative who opened fire on IDF troops during a face-to-face encounter in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, was killed overnight, the IDF confirmed Wednesday morning. The clash occurred in the same building where a reserve soldier from the 679th Reserve Brigade was severely wounded last Thursday, July 2. During the exchange, a military working dog from the Oketz canine unit was killed; the dog's handler, a female combat soldier, returned fire and eliminated the gunman, the IDF said. No Israeli forces were harmed.
The Zioneer first reported the antecedent clash on July 3, when a reserve soldier was severely wounded in a close-quarters encounter and the Hezbollah operative escaped. The search for the operative continued. On Wednesday at 07:06 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published a series of updates confirming the operative had been killed in the same building, with details emerging: the building was identified as the site of the Thursday clash, a military dog was killed, and the handler killed the gunman. By 07:13 Jerusalem, the IDF's account was consolidated.
The incident is the latest in a series of ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon. As The Zioneer reported on June 26, four soldiers were wounded when a Hezbollah operative threw a grenade in Beit Yahoun; the operative was killed. On June 28, a soldier was killed in a clash with a Hezbollah operative. The Zioneer also reported on a June 20 incident where a Lebanese soldier died from an Israeli strike.
The IDF has not released the identity of the Hezbollah operative killed in Wednesday's incident, nor provided details on the unit affiliation beyond the group's name. The search that led to the encounter was part of ongoing operations in the area. No further details were immediately available.
7 developments
- ConfirmedIDF eliminates Hezbollah operative near troops in Al-Manzala area
- ConfirmedIDF soldier killed in clash with Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon
- StrongIDF confirms 4 soldiers wounded by Hezbollah grenade in Beit Yahoun; assailant killed
- DevelopingIDF troops engage Hezbollah cell in southern Lebanon, kill two operatives
Source and signal
- Internal intake