IAF accidentally kills Lebanese soldier
Aircraft strikes car moving in village north of Tyre in attempt to kill senior Hizbullah member. IDF sources: We regret incident, but in times of war we must hit anyone involved in terror
Following the strike, it turned out that officers and soldiers from the Lebanese army were riding in the car and they were hurt. The Israel Defense Forces expressed its regret over the incident.
Official sources in Lebanon reported that a Lebanese soldier was killed and another three were injured in the IDF strike.
The IDF decided to strike a target in the Tyre area after receiving intelligence that a Hizbullah member was traveling in the vehicle. According to IDF sources, the attack on the vehicle took place after a tangible threat was received, "and every Hizbullah senior member can carry out attacks and operate against IDF forces."
Only after the attack, which took place after 1 p.m. – the first since the Air Force began a ceasefire in accordance with the instructions of the government – did it turn out that a Hizbullah senior member was not in the vehicle attacked, but that the vehicle contained senior officers and soldiers from the Lebanese army, some of whom were affected."
"We are sorry for the strike," said IDF sources, "but in a situation of war there is a need to hit everyone involved in terror. In this incident there was a certain error, maybe in the intelligence aspect. We will check this thoroughly in order to learn lessons for the future and in any case the IDF and the Air Force will continue to pursue after terrorists and especially senior members among them."
News agencies contributed to the report
