Mount Dov (Archive photo)
Photo: Reuters
Troops hit gunman crossing northern border
IDF officials fear Hizbullah may try to escalate situation at northern border after soldiers fired at armed terrorist crossing Blue Line at Mount Dov area after he shot at them; simultaneously, 'work accident' at Rafah pier apparently prevents attempted terror attack against navy boat
Northern border incident: IDF soldiers stationed at the Mount Dov area on Wednesday morning spotted an armed terrorist moving from Lebanon toward Israel while crossing the Blue Line.
The gunman shot at the soldiers, who returned fire and hit him. His condition remains unclear.
Following the incident, the army maintained high alert in the area for fear that Hizbullah would retaliate by firing Katyusha rockets or mortar shells. The Northern Command has been on high alert for a while now for fear that Hizbullah would attempt to kidnap soldiers once again.
IDF officials told Ynet that recently Hizbullah has apparently been planning to carry out terror attacks against Israeli targets. They added that the Northern Command has been holding discussions in order to deal with any type of threat.
"We have already seen in the past how Hizbullah turns every local incident into an opportunity to escalate the situation at the northern border," an official said.
According to the military sources, the terrorist who was hit Wednesday was also equipped with observation means, "and might have been trying to gather intelligence information on IDF soldiers' presence in the area."
The Northern Command is currently looking into the incident's circumstances, including why the terrorist opened fire. The army is also checking whether the terrorist fired at the soldiers after he was spotted or beforehand, and whether he operated on his own or as part of a group.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said this week that Hizbullah, which is being operated by the Syria and Iran, plans to carry out "an additional round of escalation. We are looking for signs and preparing for them."
He added that "Hizbullah may carry out escalating moves in an attempt to shift the attention from the strategic situation of Syria, which is stuck up to its neck in the probe into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri."
'Work accident' prevents attack on navy
Simultaneously, a terror attack in the middle of the sea was prevented Wednesday morning when two suicide bombers were apparently killed in a "work accident" near Rafah.
IDF officials had estimated that once the army pulls out from the Gaze Strip, the attempts to smuggle weapons from Egypt into the Gaza Strip will increase, including attempts to carry out attacks on Israeli vessels.
At around 7:00 a.m., a strong blast was heard at a Rafah pier. Sailors on a navy boat in the area also heard the blast and tried to locate its source. It turned out that the blast occurred at the pier and that the navy boat did not suffer any damages.
The Palestinians reported that two people were killed in the explosion. IDF officials estimated that the two were planning to reach an Israeli vessel with their boat and detonate themselves next to it.
Ashdod Base Commander Colonel Yoram Laks told Ynet after the IDF pulled out from the Gaza Strip that the corps had raised their alert in light of the proximity to Palestinian vessels and were operating in a non-routine manner so as not to become an easy target for terror organizations.
In the past few weeks, the navy thwarted a number of attempts to smuggle weapons in the southern Gaza Strip, including firing at Palestinians who were suspected of being involved in these incidents.
Following the situation created in the southern Strip, the corps reinforced their forces in some of the areas, including in the naval commando.
IDF officials are well-aware of the possibility of hitting an Israeli vessel, which is considered by terrorists as a "high-quality" terror attack, especially after the army pulled out from Gaza.
"Once there were posts and tanks in the Strip, which were terror attack targets. It's obvious that today, without them, the vessels have become targets," an army official said.
Navy vessels have served as targets for terror attack in recent years. In November 2002, a navy ship was hit after a Palestinian boat exploded next to it, wounding four soldiers. Two other explosions occurred in November 2000 and in January 2003 near Israeli vessels in the middle of the sea. There were no Injuries in these two incidents.
