Lebanese army soldier killed and 18 wounded in Israeli strike – Washington Examiner
A Lebanese army soldier was killed and 18 others were injured due to an Israeli artillery strike on a military checkpoint in Lebanon. The Lebanese Armed Forces confirmed these casualties and noted that some injuries were serious. The dead soldier was identified as First Assistant Diab Muhammad Jaafar, and substantial damage was reported at the Al-Amiriya army centre.
Israel’s military later expressed regret over the incident, stating that it occurred in a conflict area targeting Hezbollah rather than the Lebanese Army. Despite the apology, the Lebanese government condemned the strike. Prime Minister Najib Mikati described the attack as a “bloody message” from Israel, undermining efforts to stabilize the region and uphold UN resolution 1701, which mandates that the Lebanese Army be the sole military force in southern Lebanon.
Since the escalation in hostilities in October 2023, the IDF has acknowledged the unintentional killing of at least 40 Lebanese soldiers during operations, frequently followed by apologies. The Lebanese Army faces significant challenges, exacerbated by the dominance of Hezbollah in the country and recent economic crises.
Lebanese army soldier killed and 18 wounded in Israeli strike
One Lebanese army soldier was killed, and 18 others were wounded after Israel shelled a checkpoint in the Middle Eastern country.
The casualties were announced by the Lebanese Armed Forces in a post on X, which added that several of the injured were seriously wounded. The army center at Al-Amiriya sustained serious damage as well.
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The dead soldier was identified as First Assistant Diab Muhammad Jaafar.
Footage of the site of the attack showed several army vehicles destroyed or damaged, with flames engulfing the military base.
The Israel Defense Forces were quick to apologize for the incident.
“The incident took place in an area where fighting is ongoing against the Hezbollah terror organization,” the IDF said in a statement to The Times of Israel.
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“The IDF regrets the incident and clarifies that it is fighting in a targeted manner against the Hezbollah terror organization, and not against the Lebanese Army,” it added, saying that the incident was under further investigation.
The Lebanese government expressed outrage over the incident, condemning Israel.
In a statement, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that Israel sent “a direct and bloody message rejecting all efforts to reach a ceasefire, to bolster the Lebanese army’s presence in the south, and to implement UN resolution 1701,” a resolution which calls for the LAF to be the only armed force in southern Lebanon.
“This aggression is a matter for the international community, which is silent about what is happening to Lebanon,” he added.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Lebanon in October 2023, at least 40 Lebanese soldiers have reportedly been killed in strikes by the IDF. The deaths have been acknowledged by the IDF as accidents, usually quickly followed by an apology.
The LAF holds a unique position in the current war in Lebanon. Following the conclusion of the country’s civil war in 1990, Hezbollah quickly emerged as the dominant force in Lebanon, vastly outgunning the LAF and leaving large swathes of the country under de facto Hezbollah control. The LAF was further crippled by the 2019 economic crisis, being reduced to offering helicopter joy rides for tourists to make ends meet.
The LAF maintained its neutrality throughout the intense Israeli air campaign and ground invasion, unable to take on the IDF or Hezbollah. Its activities in the war have been limited to patrols and the maintenance of military bases, occasionally being caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Retired Lebanese General Hicham Jaber told La Croix International in October that the LAF has been reduced to a “large police force” that “controls the borders and must maintain civil peace.” It lacks any modern heavy weapons, as the U.S. has pressured Lebanon not to accept any from Russia or Iran while denying to send any of its own.
Israel launched its fourth invasion of Lebanon in 50 years in October after Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza. More than 3,000 people have been killed in the fighting, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, with over one million Lebanese and 60,000 Israelis displaced.
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