Lebanese army and security officials said early Wednesday that special IDF forces attempted to kidnap a senior Hizbullah member from a hospital near Baalbek in the west Lebanon Valley.
Lebanese media say the mark may have been Sheikh Muhammad Yazbek, a member of Hizbullahs High Council and one of 12 senior organization members.
It remains unclear whether the operation was successful, but witnesses said the Jews took some people with them.
A Hizbullah spokesman said gunmen belonging to the organization have besieged an IDF unit that was transported by air to the area. According to reports, the Israeli forces have entrenched themselves inside the hospital and are engaging in face-to-face combat with local gunmen.
Eyewitnesses inside the hospital told Al-Arabiya that exchanges of fire are taking place inside the hospital and that there are numerous casualties at the scene.
Several senior Hizbullah members reside in Baalbek, and the organization maintains a number of civilian and military institutions in the city.
According to reports, the operation began with at least six rapid air strikes, after which IAF choppers attempted to land ground forces in the citys western sector.
A Lebanese army outpost in the town of Shlifa, west of Baalbek, was also attacked.
Lebanese media estimated that the IDF forces planned to kidnap the sheikh from the Dar el-Hichma hospital, located north of Baalbek; Yazbek was reportedly surrounded by other senior Hizbullah members.
Flares held aloft by parachutes lighted the night sky to a daytime brilliance, a Lebanese official said.
It was also reported that Israeli jet fighters attacked targets in the city of Hermel, 75 miles north of the Israeli border in the Bekaa Valley, and Hizbullah said it attacked an IDF outpost in the Shebaa Farms on the border.
Meanwhile, Al-Manar aired images of what it said was booty left behind by IDF forces near Kila in south Lebanon. The photos released were of two-way radios, shoes, canteens, and other military equipment. It is not clear when the photos were taken.
did they shake their "booty",,,LOL,,,
How come I have this feeling that they are not going to find any civilian survivors in this hospital when the Hezbollah get finished.
Thanks, Swanks.
Awaiting more on that story.