Israel Matzav

4 IDF soldiers wounded in botched kidnapping attempt

An IED that exploded in front of an IDF patrol on the Golan Heights on Tuesday was apparently an attempt by Hezbullah to kidnap an IDF soldier. This is from the first link.

An IDF patrol traveling on the Golan Heights near the Syrian border came under attack Tuesday, when an explosive device was detonated near the soldiers' jeep. The soldiers had stopped their jeep and were outside of the vehicle when the explosive went off.

The soldiers belonged to the IDF's Paratroopers Battalion 202 and one of the three who sustained light-to-moderate wounds was the deputy commander of the battalion. Additionally, another soldier was seriously wounded in the incident.

IDF artillery units responded by opening fire at targets in Syria identified by the IDF as being linked to those who planted and set off the explosive device. An accurate hit was identified by the soldiers. An IDF source later added that the targets struck by the IDF were Syrian army positions.

...

The incident came after an IDF convoy traveling in the Har Dov (Shaba Farms) area, on the border with Lebanon, was the target of a bomb set off by Hezbollah on Friday night.

One of the armored vehicles was directly hit by the explosion, but there were no injuries among soldiers.

The IDF concluded within minutes of Friday's attack that Hezbollah was behind the explosion. In response, IDF tanks fired on and struck a Hezbollah post in the village of Kafr Kileh, Lebanon, close to the Israeli border.

An Artillery Corps unit stationed on the border, near the area of the attack, opened fire as well.

Hezbullah has now taken 'credit' for Tuesday's attack as well.

Hezbollah sources said Tuesday that an explosion on the Golan Heights that injured three IDF soldiers had been an attempt to kidnap soldiers. The kidnapping attempt was reported by Al-Manar television, a Lebanese news outlet associated with Hezbollah. The reported quoted Hezbollah sources as saying that although the attempt failed “this time, we are sure we will succeed in the near future.”

Reports said that the IDF was investigating whether the soldiers were injured when they got out of the jeep. The reports said that the soldiers had seen a suspicious figure, and had sought to capture him.

If accurate, the attack would have placed likely placed kidnapped IDF soldiers over the border, in Syria or Lebanon. Hezbollah terrorists would then have likely attempted to extort Israel for the soldier by demanding the release of masses of terrorists, as Hamas did when it kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

Israel Air Force planes opened fire on terror sites and army outposts in Syria, IDF officials said. The incident occurred near the border with Syria, outside the village of Majdal a-Shams.

The injured soldiers were being treated at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where they were airlifted by helicopter.

One of the soldiers was in serious condition, one was moderately injured, and the third sustained light injuries. A fourth soldier was being treated for shock, officials said.

 Sounds like Hezbullah is trying to provoke an IDF response. Hmmm....

Labels: explosions, Golan Heights, Hezbullah, IDF, Lebanon, Syria

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:03 PM