The IDF is continuing to investigate the explosion in the south Lebanon village of Majdal Zoun that killed two Israeli reservists last Wednesday, with the prevailing assessment that the blast was caused by an old Hezbollah explosive device planted before the ceasefire took effect.
Maj. Harel Birenstock, 34, from Nokdim, and Master Sgt. Tamir Vaknin, 33, from Eilat, were killed in the blast. Both served in the 2855th Battalion of the 55th Paratroopers Brigade.
Maj. Harel Birenstock, 34, from Nokdim, and Master Sgt. Tamir Vaknin, 33, from Eilat
(Photo: IDF)
The IDF believes with near certainty that the device had been placed in the area before the ceasefire and was not discovered by forces operating there. The incident is now the subject of a deeper investigation because numerous IDF units had moved through the same structure in recent weeks as the military established control over the village.
Questions were raised immediately after the incident over why the IDF described it as a blatant Hezbollah violation of the ceasefire, while no political official publicly made the same claim.
Military officials said the fact that Israeli soldiers were killed during the ceasefire by a Hezbollah explosive device amounted, in their view, to a violation of the agreement.
At the same time, Hezbollah continues to launch surveillance drones and attempt to move weapons through different parts of southern Lebanon. ynet reported over the weekend that the IDF had withheld information about a separate incident in which Hezbollah launched an explosive drone toward Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, causing no casualties or damage.
Responding to the decision not to disclose the incident, the IDF said: “The IDF Spokesperson will not publish information that, according to an operational assessment, could endanger our forces operating in combat zones.”
Despite the continued activity, the military is trying not to break the current framework in southern Lebanon, particularly as attention is focused on developments involving Iran.
One area of concern is the return of Lebanese residents to the village of al-Mansouri, which is under Lebanese army control. The IDF maintains observation and fire control over the area but does not have a permanent physical presence inside the village.
Nearly half of the village’s infrastructure has been completely destroyed, and many residents have nowhere else to go.
The IDF has carried out repeated strikes in the village against Hezbollah terrorists who enter the area. Military officials say seven terrorists were killed there in the past month alone.
Israeli forces continue to monitor the village and act against what they identify as threats. Hezbollah terrorists often move on foot or motorcycles, including while transporting weapons.
To discourage civilians from entering areas where operations continue, the IDF has distributed leaflets warning residents that the village remains a combat zone and that returning poses a danger.
At the same time, the IDF is operating under restrictions on the use of force and currently does not want to exceed them, in part to avoid undermining the pilot project aimed at transferring control in areas deeper behind the yellow line to the Lebanese army.
The military’s main concern is that civilians will return to villages where that transfer process is underway before security arrangements are fully established.
As a result, the IDF is preparing for a longer presence in parts of southern Lebanon and is reinforcing positions based on topographical assessments.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the northern front during the weekly Cabinet meeting.
“We are also hearing all kinds of rumors about Lebanon,” he said. “I want to make clear: In recent days Israel has acted forcefully in Lebanon, eliminated terrorists, including on the Ali Taher ridge. I cannot elaborate. We are engaged in very important activity.”
“We are acting with judgment and wisdom, with determination and with the IDF, and eliminating threats,” Netanyahu said.