Escalation in Southern Lebanon: Lebanese Soldier Wounded in IDF Strike
The Lebanese Army reported that a soldier was lightly wounded in an IDF strike against a bulldozer in Al-Mansouri. The incident follows a deadly encounter in Majdal Zoun, where two IDF soldiers were killed earlier this week.
The Lebanese Army reported today, Friday, that one soldier was lightly wounded as a result of an IDF strike aimed at a military bulldozer in the village of Al-Mansouri. The Army Command stated that "one of the soldiers was lightly wounded as a result of a hostile Israeli attack on a military bulldozer in the town of Al-Mansouri, Tyre, while working on opening roads and clearing rubble."
The IDF confirms that forces of the 91st Division struck a Lebanese Army soldier in the village of Al-Mansouri in the western sector of southern Lebanon. The IDF has not provided further details regarding the circumstances that led to the strike. Previously, reports from Lebanon indicated that Lebanese Army forces arriving from the UN base in Naqoura were hiding from Hezbollah during the night hours in Al-Mansouri, located northwest of Majdal Zoun.
Following a difficult incident in Majdal Zoun on Wednesday, in which two IDF soldiers were killed and four were wounded, the IDF ordered the evacuation of the nearby village of Al-Mansouri. The IDF intended to conduct a broad operation in the village, but the political echelon prevented it. The IDF had previously bombed several buildings in the village identified as Hezbollah headquarters and weapons depots. According to the Lebanese Army, its personnel arrived in the village to clear rubble and remove weapons before allowing residents to return. Prior to the entry of the Lebanese Army, it was reported that IDF artillery fired a large number of shells at the village.
The IDF is currently investigating when the explosive devices were planted inside the house in Majdal Zoun, which led to the deaths of Major (res.) Harel Birenstock and Sergeant Major (res.) Tamir Vaknin, and the serious wounding of four other soldiers. The investigation is examining two possibilities. According to one, the device was planted days before the 511th Reserve Commando Brigade captured the village. Soldiers previously described Hezbollah's defense of the village as fortress-like, involving dozens of terrorists, observation arrays, and the booby-trapping of routes and buildings. The existence of strategic infrastructure built by Iran beneath the village houses forced Hezbollah to defend the area with increased intensity.
