The IDF issued a statement Saturday evening confirming that a Lebanese Army vehicle hit a mine in the Al-Mansouri area of the security zone in southern Lebanon, killing one soldier and wounding two. The military determined the mine was not Israeli but likely placed by Hezbollah. The vehicle entered the area without prior coordination with the IDF, which called on forces to avoid areas where Hezbollah remains a threat.
The IDF issued a detailed statement Saturday evening, confirming that a Lebanese Army vehicle struck a mine in the Al-Mansouri area of the security zone in southern Lebanon. The blast killed one soldier and wounded two others. The military determined that the mine was not Israeli ordnance but was "apparently placed by the terrorist organization Hezbollah." The vehicle entered the security zone without prior coordination with the IDF, as required under the existing mechanism. The IDF called on forces to avoid areas where Hezbollah remains a threat.
This official confirmation, published at 22:21 Jerusalem, caps a day of evolving reports. The story began early Saturday morning (03:14 Jerusalem) with reports of two bombs striking al-Mansouri. At the same hour, a Lebanese security source told The Zioneer that a soldier was killed by a booby-trapped generator, and Lebanese authorities denied earlier reports of an Israeli strike. The IDF then issued a series of statements early in the day: first confirming the incident and that the device was not Israeli, then clarifying that no Israeli forces were present in the area, and finally detailing the lack of coordination. By 13:29 Jerusalem, the soldier's identity had not been released. At 22:17 Jerusalem, Israeli media outlet N12 reported that the IDF assessed the device as Hezbollah's, citing the military's initial assessment. The current statement expands on those reports with official confirmation and additional context.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of Hezbollah-planted explosive devices in southern Lebanon. As The Zioneer reported in recent weeks, several IDF soldiers have been killed or wounded by Hezbollah IEDs in the same region, including a reservist on June 18. Additionally, Lebanese Army soldiers have been killed in separate Israeli strikes in the area. The security zone remains a volatile flashpoint.
What remains open: The identity of the killed Lebanese soldier has not been publicly released. The specific circumstances that led the vehicle to enter the security zone without coordination are still unclear, and the Lebanese Army has not issued a statement.
7 developments
- ConfirmedIDF soldier killed by Hezbollah IED in southern Lebanon, deputy division commander wounded
- ConfirmedIDF eliminates Hezbollah operative near troops in Al-Manzala area
- DevelopingLebanese Army says one soldier killed in IDF strike in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingIDF: Hezbollah mortars hit UNIFIL post, kill UN soldier
Source and signal
- Internal intake