IDF arrests 2 Lebanese men who infiltrated Israel
Soldiers open fire at two men spotted entering village of Ghajar near Lebanon border; one suspect injured, other escapes but caught few hours later
The soldiers carried out the "suspect detention procedure" and shot one of the suspects in the leg. The man was injured and taken in for questioning by security forces. The other suspect, who was also injured from IDF fire, fled the scene, but was apprehended by IDF forces a few hours later. He was transferred to a hospital for treatment and then taken in for questioning.
The man was moderately injured and evacuated to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed. The nag he was carrying contained drugs.
At around 6 pm, an IDF patrol spotted two people crossing the Blue Line, between the northern part of the village Ghajar, which is located in Lebanon, and its southern part, which is controlled by Israel. The soldiers were on Israeli territory the entire time of the incident.
Yusef, a village resident, told Ynet, "This is not the first time we face such a situation, as the Israeli government has failed to make the necessary decision to treat us like ordinary citizens and provide us with the required security.
"In terms of our civil life, since the IDF withdrew to the Blue Line we have been living in fear. We get our food and medication at the entrance to the village, as no supplier agrees to enter the village due to our proximity to the border."
The village of Ghajar is split between Israel and Lebanon. Two-thirds of its residents live in the northern part of the village, which according to United Nations Resolution 1701 is part of Lebanon. The residents, however, continue to argue that they are an inseparable part of Syria and that Ghajar's fate should be similar to the Golan Heights' future.
Hizbullah tried to take advantage of the split village in order to target IDF troops even before the Second Lebanon War. On November 2005, Corporal David Markovich prevented a kidnapping after killing four terrorists who tried to abduct soldiers after entering the Israeli part of the village.
Hanan Greenberg contributed to this report
