Dozens of people were killed when Israeli special forces raided a border area searching for the body of a long-missing airman, Lebanese authorities said.
The Lebanese army said in a statement that late Friday night, four Israeli military helicopters passed through Lebanese airspace and flew into the Lebanese-Syrian border area. Two helicopters then landed and there was “intense and widespread” shelling targeting nearby villages, the statement added.
As Israeli forces approached the village of Navichit, the Lebanese army said its special forces engaged in a gunfight with Hezbollah militants and local residents. The Lebanese army said the special forces wore uniforms similar to those of the Lebanese army and used vehicles and ambulances designed to resemble those of the Islamic Health Service.
Hezbollah said in a statement that its warplanes opened fire on “enemy infantry units” with “light and medium weapons” as the special forces approached a cemetery in the eastern village area. The Iranian-backed extremist group said it had fired a “concentration of fire” at Israeli forces as they withdrew from the area.
A social media video from the town of Navitchit, located by Reuters, showed a huge crater in the ground after the Israeli operation. Buildings near the crater suffered extensive damage, and the streets were littered with concrete chunks and debris.
The Israeli military was searching for the body of navigator Ron Arad, who has been missing since 1986 after being forcefully ejected from an F-4 fighter jet. In 2008, Hezbollah announced Arad’s death. The special forces raid was based on information gathered from Lebanese security official Ahmad Shker, who was reportedly kidnapped in December, Israeli sources said.
However, soldiers on the ground were unable to find Arad’s body.
Shauk al-Masri, who lives in the village, told Reuters he endured a “night of hell” as he “could hear the sound of helicopters flying over my house all night”.
“They were so low that I thought they were going to land on us,” he said. “The townspeople woke up and started firing at them, and the fighter planes started bombing. It was a very intense night, but it was only when the sun came up that it calmed down.”
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 41 people were killed and another 40 injured in Israeli attacks and airstrikes.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that no Israeli soldiers were injured. In response to a question about Lebanese casualties, the IDF said that based on information it was not aware of any casualties. Asked whether Israel carried out airstrikes in conjunction with the kamikaze operation, the Israel Defense Forces claimed that according to intelligence there were no casualties during the event.
Ron Arad’s widow, Tami Arad, thanked the government for its efforts but urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to do anything that would put soldiers at risk. “For us, the sanctity of life trumps the promise to bring back the remains of our soldiers for burial,” she said on Facebook. “As a family, we have declared many times that we oppose operations that put our soldiers at risk.”
The attack came amid heavy Israeli offensives targeting Hezbollah, launched in response to a renewed conflict with Iran.
