The IDF said forces from the 679th Armored Brigade eliminated a Hezbollah operative who opened fire on them during searches in a building in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, on Tuesday. No Israeli forces were harmed. The building was the site of a clash last Thursday in which a reserve soldier was severely wounded.
IDF troops from the 679th Armored Brigade eliminated a Hezbollah operative who opened fire on them during searches of a building in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, on Tuesday, the military said Wednesday morning. The searches were aimed at locating the assailant from a clash last Thursday in which a reserve soldier from the same brigade was severely wounded in the same building. No Israeli forces were harmed in the Tuesday operation.
The story has unfolded in quick succession. The initial wounding occurred on Thursday, July 2; The Zioneer reported on Friday, July 3, that the gunman was still at large. The IDF then conducted searches, culminating in the Tuesday elimination. The military released multiple updates at 07:06 Jerusalem on Wednesday, first reporting the elimination and the death of a military working dog, then specifying the 679th Brigade's role and the dog's handler. By 10:56 Jerusalem, however, soldiers from the 679th Brigade told Kan News that the IDF spokesperson's account was inaccurate: they said the terrorist was killed by troops of Battalion 8112, not by the female Oketz handler, and that the terrorist was shot only after he reached for his weapon. The soldiers also confirmed the dog was killed by the terrorist's fire.
The building in Bint Jbeil has been a focal point of Hezbollah activity in the security zone. As The Zioneer reported on July 3, the reserve soldier was wounded in a close-quarters encounter there. The IDF has conducted several operations in southern Lebanon in recent weeks, including eliminating an operative in the Al-Manzala area on June 30 and a clash on June 25 in which two operatives were killed. The area remains under a ceasefire framework that has been repeatedly violated.
It remains unclear whether the operative eliminated on Tuesday was the same one who wounded the reservist on July 2. The IDF has not addressed the soldiers' contradictory account, and the official version has not been updated to reflect their claims. The incident underscores the persistent threat and the complexity of operations in the area.
11 developments
- Strong679th Brigade kills, captures Hezbollah operatives in Bint Jbeil, contradicts IDF account
- DevelopingSoldiers contradict IDF account of elimination in Lebanon, ynet reports
- ConfirmedIDF soldier killed in clash with Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingIDF: Hezbollah mortars hit UNIFIL post, kill UN soldier
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