2 more troops killed in Bint Jbeil
Cleared for publication: Two Armored Corps soldiers killed, two others wounded by missile fired at their tank by Hizbullah terrorists during battles in south Lebanese town; earlier it was reported that paratrooper Malko (Moshe) Ambao killed in same incident
Earlier it was reported that Staff Sergeant Malko (Moshe) Ambao, 22, from Lod, of the IDF Paratroopers Brigade, was killed in the same incident.
A paratrooper unit that was operating in town against terrorists and in a bid to uncover weapon caches has clashed with gunmen and fire exchanges broke out, during which the paratrooper was killed and four of his comrades were wounded. The exchanges of fire lasted several hours, and at some point terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF tank, killing two crew members and injuring two others.
IDF forces have killed 15 terrorists in different sectors across south Lebanon , five of them in Bint Jbeil.
Additionally, an IDF officer and two soldiers were injured early Monday morning during fire exchanges with Hizbullah gunmen in the village of Houla in the eastern sector of the southern Lebanon. The force killed four terrorists in the clash who were hiding in a house used as a weapons depot.
Engineering Corps and infantry units blew up Hizbullah headquarters in southwestern Lebanon Monday morning, completely destroying the structure. Troops uncovered stashes of rockets and antitank missiles in the place.
Deputy Commander of the Armored Corps Division Lieutenant Colonel Itzik Cohen told reporters: "In the last 24 hours we succeeded in killing a very large number of terrorists. This testifies to their significant erosion and the lack of Hizbullah's ability to carry out rocket fire."
'Wherever we arrive, rocket launchings cease'
He addressed operations in the villages of Markhava and Houla in the eastern district: "We renewed entrances into two villages. In Houla there was much shooting; the force encountered terrorists who carried out massive fire, including grenades from one of the homes. The company commander was moderately injured and rescued by a force as another force entered to help. The forces killed three or four terrorists. The home was full of arms. Outside of the structure there were also exchanges of fire. As a result, two soldiers were lightly injured by shrapnel."
Northern Command Chief Udi Adam said during a briefing that the IDF is prepared to move northward on the ground toward the Litani River.
“I know there is a willingness for such a move should the US and France fail in their talks with Lebanon,” he said, adding that “Casualties among enemy forces are higher.”
Regarding recent reports according to which the Katyusha fire on Israel is expected to end in a few weeks Adam said, “We must remember that we can’t stop the rocket fire completely, but it can be reduced. We suggested moving onward. They have a large arsenal, but we can clearly see that the rocket fire is now emanating from the north and the east. Wherever we arrive, rocket launchings cease.”
Meital Yasur Beit-Or contributed to the report
