Hezbollah strike on IDF convoy near Lebanon border kills 2 soldiers
Originally published on 28 January, 2015
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Two Israeli soldiers were killed in by in an anti-tank missile attack carried out by Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah on Wednesday in a disputed region at the Israel-Lebanon border.
Hezbollah leadership claimed responsibility for the latest incident near Israel’s far-northern frontier, saying its Quneitra Martyrs Brigade struck the an Israel Defense Forces convoy at 11.35 a.m., the New York Times reported.
The IDF has said the convoy was travelling through the Shebaa Farms frontier region near Israel’s far-northern border with Lebanon when the missile struck. Seven soldiers were wounded along with the two who were killed.
As Reuters reports, “the attack on Wednesday was the latest in a string of recent events along Israel’s northern frontiers that have sharply escalated tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and that have raised the risk of broader confrontation.
“About an hour after the initial attack on the military convoy, several mortar shells were fired at Israeli military positions in the border area and on Mount Hermon in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, without causing injury.
“The Israeli military said it responded with combined aerial and ground strikes at what it called ‘Hezbollah operational positions’ in Lebanon, and said that it might take further action.
“‘At these moments, the I.D.F. is responding to events in the north,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. ‘We will not allow terror elements to disrupt the lives of our citizens and threaten their security. We will know how to respond with force to whoever challenges us.’
“Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, described the events as a severe escalation on our northern border.’ Military leaders convened in Tel Aviv to assess the situation.”