Israeli glider rescued

Happy ending to nail-biting drama on northern border: An Israeli glider who crossed into Lebanese territory after being swept by powerful winds is safe and sound after being rescued by IDF forces.

After being rescued, 26-year-old Adam Wexler said: “Were it not for the army, I would still be in Lebanese territory. If the army wouldn’t have rescued me, I wouldn’t be alive. I went through difficult moments.”

Wexler was taken into investogation in the Kiryat Shmona police station. Initial details from the incident indicate that he glided in the area without the needed permits from the IDF.

Wexler is suspected of "negligence while risking human life" and "public malfunction." 

Wexler’s girlfriend, Karin Krenenberg, said, “Adam is a responsible man; this is his job, and he flies almost every day, so he knows the area well.

“I spoke with him immediately following his rescue; I understood he was fine and was not physically harmed,” she said.

“I am sure he is under a lot of pressure, because he had no intention of mobilizing everyone as he did. I am waiting for him to come out of the police interrogation so we can talk; I want him to come home already.”

Earlier, security authorities were unsure of his fate.

'A serious person'

The IDF forces went on high alert immediately after reports of the incident surfaced. Heavy exchanges of fire between the army and Hizbullah ensued in the area around 3:00 p.m. after Hizbullah members spotted the Israeli.

IDF sources made it clear that the soldiers who rescued the Israeli citizen did not cross the international borderline, the Blue Line, between Israel and Lebanon.

The forces arrived at the border, the glider managed to approach them, and the forces collected him into Israeli territory.

IDF jeeps in the area of the incident  (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

Eyewitnesses said IDF forces reached the Israeli glider as the Lebanese were only 70 meters (about 220 feet) away from him.

Restaurant operator Shimon Elhaddad told Ynet the Israeli works as a test glider. “We saw him battling the wind. He attempted to stop his gliding into Lebanon and resorted to sharp movements….but to no avail. We saw him land in Lebanese territory.”

“Fortunately, they (army forces) were able to rescue him before a Lebanese vehicle reached him,” Elhaddad said. “He’s in the army’s hands now.”

“He had a huge miracle. We don’t want to think about what would have happened to him had he been captured by the Lebanese,” one eyewitness said.

Ron Benton, director of the gliding association Wexler is a member of, said the incident resulted from a technical malfunction, adding that, “To our knowledge Wexler had all the necessary authorizations.”

“He is a serious person who works as a commercial pilot for a company that manufactures gliding parachutes,” Benton continued.

“However, we will investigate the security aspects of the incident. The cliff points to the east, and there were apparently very strong eastern winds today; that is why he was swept.”

Gliding aficionado Moti Keren said, “It is dangerous to go parachuting when there are strong winds, like there were today, because you can find yourself in Lebanese territory.”

Leaflets strike

Israel Air Force aircraft hovered over the skies of south Lebanon in the early hours of Wednesday and dropped leaflets over communities in the region in an attempt to enlist Lebanese public opinion against Hizbullah.

The leaflets dispersed over Lebanon, including the western Shiite suburbs of the capital Beirut, read: “To Lebanon’s citizens: Who is lying to you? Who is sending your sons to a fight they are not ready for? Who wants to return to destruction? Who is a tool for the Iranian and Syrian masters? Hizbullah is hurting Lebanon. The state of Israel will continue to defend its people and sovereignty.”

Hanan Greenberg contributed to the report