The IDF completed an investigation into Tuesday's clash in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, finding that a dog was killed, not a soldier. The investigation revealed that a female Oketz soldier sent her dog to scan a building, a terrorist inside shot the dog, and the soldier and a force from the 679th Brigade returned fire, killing the terrorist. The military expressed regret over the initial erroneous report, which stemmed from an operational reporting error.
The IDF completed an investigation Wednesday evening into the Bint Jbeil clash, finding that a dog was killed, not a soldier. According to the probe, a female Oketz unit soldier sent her dog to scan a building; a terrorist inside shot the dog, and the soldier together with a force from the 679th Brigade returned fire, killing the terrorist. The military expressed regret over the initial erroneous report, which stemmed from an operational reporting error.
The story unfolded rapidly Wednesday morning. Initial reports (07:30 Jerusalem) said a female Oketz soldier had eliminated a terrorist and her dog was killed. Within hours, soldiers from the 679th Brigade contradicted that account, telling Kan News that the terrorist was killed by Battalion 8112 after a standoff, and that the Oketz dog was killed by terrorist fire. The IDF then acknowledged an error, stating the terrorist was killed by a 679th Brigade soldier. Later Wednesday, the 679th Brigade reported that its troops had killed one Hezbollah operative and captured another, saying a three-man cell had been hiding in the ruins for weeks. The investigation now confirms the dog was killed and the soldier was unharmed.
The building in Bint Jbeil was the site of a previous close-quarters encounter last Thursday, in which a reservist from the 679th Brigade was severely wounded, as The Zioneer reported on Friday, July 3. That gunman remained at large. The area has seen multiple ceasefire violations in recent weeks, with the IDF carrying out several strikes and pursuits against armed militants in the southern Lebanon security zone.
The investigation is complete, and the IDF has attributed the initial error to a mistake in operational reporting. No further discrepancies have been reported.
7 developments
- DevelopingFighters in Bint Jbeil: IDF spokesperson lied — female soldier did not carry out kill
- StrongConfirmation: Hezbollah communications unit commander killed in Beirut strike
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