Four IDF Soldiers Wounded in Blast on Lebanon-Israel Border
Border Blast: Four IDF soldiers were wounded on Wednesday in a blast on the border between Lebanon and Israel. Image by Getty Images
JERUSALEM – An explosion at the border with Lebanon wounded four Israeli soldiers on Wednesday, and the Lebanese Army said the troops were inside Lebanese territory when the blast occurred.
The incident, in an area known for having land mines, did not appear to herald any surge in tension along a frontier that has been largely quiet since Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas fought a war in 2006.
An Israeli military spokesman said the soldiers were involved in “an activity near the border”. He did not provide details about their exact location or what caused the blast.
Four soldiers were wounded and taken to hospital in Israel, the spokesman said.
The Lebanese Army said that in a “violation of Lebanese sovereignty”, an Israeli infantry patrol crossed the U.N.-designated “blue line” between the two countries and moved 400 metres (yards) inside Lebanese territory.
“During the infiltration, an explosion occurred which led to a number of (Israeli soldiers) being wounded,” the Lebanese military said, adding it was investigating the circumstances of the blast in coordination with U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
A Reuters reporter in Lebanon who visited the scene saw blood on an asphalt road.
Commenting on the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would “continue to act responsibly” to defend its borders.
Andrea Teneti, a spokesman for the peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, described the situation along the frontier after the explosion as calm.
In a statement, UNIFIL said it had opened an investigation and had asked the Israeli military to provide details “of any incident in the area as alleged” and its precise location.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
