The IDF said it identified four Hezbollah operatives riding a bulldozer and motorcycle who crossed into the security zone and approached troops. After warning shots and calls went unheeded, forces fired to remove the threat; a hit was confirmed. The military accused Hezbollah of using civilian cover for its activity.
The IDF confirmed Tuesday afternoon that it opened fire on a Hezbollah cell that crossed into the Security Zone near the Ali al-Taher ridge on a bulldozer and a motorcycle for the second time in the same area today. After warning shots and calls to stop were ignored, troops fired to remove the immediate threat, and hits were identified. The military accused the group of operating under civilian cover. This marks at least the second Israeli strike in the Nabatieh area on Tuesday, following earlier machine-gun fire from IDF forces that killed two civilians gathering bodies in Nabatieh Al-Fouqa — an incident the military acknowledged, stating that troops had targeted gunmen violating the ceasefire (as reported by The Zioneer at 15:43 Jerusalem).
The threat was first reported to The Zioneer at 13:14 Jerusalem, when the IDF said it struck an armed Hezbollah cell on the Ali al-Taher ridge near the Security Zone, then specified that a bulldozer and motorcycle were used. Over the course of three successive bulletin versions, the military's account evolved from a brief confirmation to a detailed description of the crossing and warning-fire sequence. Corroboration came at 13:21 Jerusalem when reservist and former Knesset member Hillel Biton Rosen, citing a joint directive from Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz, confirmed the order for troops to open fire on any threat in southern Lebanon.
As The Zioneer reported over recent days, the ceasefire in southern Lebanon has been deteriorating since its declaration. Earlier on Tuesday, at 15:43, The Zioneer reported on the Nabatieh machine-gun incident. Hezbollah has previously claimed attacks on Israeli forces, including a drone and anti-tank missile assault on June 15 (The Zioneer, 21:13 Jerusalem), and has accused Israel of 'blatant violations' of the truce.
The exact timing of the bulldozer-motorcycle incident relative to the machine-gun incident that killed the two civilians remains unconfirmed. The IDF has not released casualty figures for the Hezbollah cell. Hezbollah itself has not commented on this specific incident.
7 developments
- ConfirmedHezbollah claims ceasefire violation as IDF fires on civilians in Nabatieh
- DevelopingFor second time today, four Hezbollah operatives cross Yellow Line — IDF fires warning shots then strikes
- DevelopingHezbollah confirms IDF ground forces at edge of Tebnit village, near Nabatieh
- StrongIDF says it killed Hezbollah operatives who crossed the Yellow Line using civilian cover at Ali al-Taher ridge
Source and signal
- Internal intake