Replies

One soldier was killed and another seriously wounded in an attack on an IDF D9 bulldozer, which was deactivating a minefield along the Lebanese border Monday afternoon. Hizbullah fired an anti-tank missile at the bulldozer Monday evening near the northern border, scoring a direct hit on the vehicle.

The Israeli military has identified the soldier killed as Jan Rotchneski, 21, from Herzlya.

The IDF submitted a complaint to the United Nations about the attack, reported Ynet on Monday.

A UNIFIL officer said that he witnessed the missile being fired from Lebanese territory toward the IDF bulldozer. A journalist asked the him whether the bulldozer crossed the border into Lebanon but he sufficed to say: “We are currently in the stage of comprehending the accident’s facts,” wrote Ynet.

Senior security officials met Monday night to decide on a response to a Hizbullah anti-tank missile attack on an IDF bulldozer across the Lebanese border, in which a soldier was killed and another seriously wounded.

The unprovoked attack occurred as the bulldozer was engaged in removing a string of roadside bombs planted by Hizbullah alongside the security fence near Moshav Zarit, in Western Galilee, and discovered two weeks ago.

Some of the devices were safely destroyed shortly afterward, but bad weather in the interim prevented the remainder from being neutralized and it was decided to use a heavily armored D-9 bulldozer for the job.

Hizbullah gunmen, however, were apparently waiting for just such an opportunity and when the bulldozer crossed the fence line to deal with the remaining bombs, an anti-tank missile scored a direct hit on the vehicle, which burst into flames.

The two operators aboard were seriously hurt and one subsequently died of his wounds despite the efforts of paramedics at the scene. The other soldier was evacuated by IAF helicopter to Haifa's Rambam Hospital.

Deputy hospital director Dr. Zvi Ben-Ishai said the soldier was suffering from multiple shrapnel wounds.

"Immediately on admission he was taken to surgery for a series of operations for the wounds he suffered, including complex ones. Afterwards he will be moved to the intensive care unit," Ben-Ishai said.

Hizbullah claimed in a statement on its Manar television station that members of its fighting arm, the Islamic Resistance, had repulsed an incursion into Lebanese territory by the Zionist enemy.

"The Islamic Resistance challenged a land violation by the Zionist occupation forces when one of its tractors crossed the border towards Lebanese land. The tractor got a direct hit," the Hizbullah statement said.

A senior Hizbullah official was later quoted in reports from Lebanon as saying that Hizbullah would respond severely if Israel tried to retaliate.

Nevertheless, OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz said that the IDF was weighing its response and intimated that those on the other side of the border had cause for concern.

Furthermore, Israel charged that the bulldozer had not entered Lebanese territory, because the security fence in that area is slightly south of the UN-delineated "Blue Line" to which the IDF withdrew when it pulled out of Lebanon in May 2000.

Security sources said it was not a question of whether Israel would respond to this latest atrocity and violation of the international border, but how and in what strength.

There were reports of differences of opinion among senior defense and security officials over a severe and forceful response because of the perceived weakness of Syria, the controlling power in Lebanon, or a more restrained one that would not lead to an escalation.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz was quoted as saying that it was a very serious incident and he cancelled a Knesset visit to hold top-level discussions with security officials.

Gantz, in a briefing with reporters in the North, said it was important to note that the incident had taken place inside Israeli territory and that the IDF had received the prior approval of UN forces for neutralizing the explosive devices.

He noted that Hizbullah is consistently planting bombs along the border to hit IDF troops and that on Monday it took advantage of efforts being made to remove and destroy the devices.

"This is a very serious incident committed by a terrorist organization whose activities are permitted under the auspices of Lebanon and Syria... We are weighing an appropriate response," said Gantz.

He described the situation along the Lebanese border as "quiet, but tense."

Gantz said the IDF had relayed to the UN via its international peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, the seriousness with which it views the unprovoked Hizbullah attack.

He added that all necessary safety and security precautions were being taken by IDF forces deployed along the border.

In November another string of roadside bombs was discovered near the same area, opposite Moshav Zarit. On that occasion they were safely destroyed. Last October an IDF soldier was shot and killed near Metulla.

The latest Hizbullah attack comes at a time when Syria has been making what have been described as serious overtures to Israel to resume peace talks. Senior government officials, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, have called on Syria to first stop supporting Hizbullah and allowing it to receive arms shipments from its patron, Iran, and cease providing a safe haven for other terrorist organizations.

The anti-tank missile attack heightened tension along the border after Hizbullah fired anti-aircraft shells over southern Lebanon on Monday. There were no reports of shrapnel falling on the Israeli side of the border.

The organization said the firing was in response to violations by IAF warplanes of Lebanese airspace. Reports from Lebanon said IAF jets flew over several parts of the country, breaking the sound barrier and causing windows to rattle in the homes of residents.

It has begun!