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Hezbollah Missile Attack Kills Israeli Soldiers Near Lebanon, and 2 Sides Exchange Fire Hezbollah Missile Attack Kills Israeli Soldiers Near Lebanon, Raising Fears of Escalation
(about 2 hours later)
JERUSALEM — Two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded in a missile attack Wednesday as they drove in a disputed zone along the Lebanese border, Israel said, in the most serious flare-up in the area in years. Hezbollah claimed responsibility.JERUSALEM — Two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded in a missile attack Wednesday as they drove in a disputed zone along the Lebanese border, Israel said, in the most serious flare-up in the area in years. Hezbollah claimed responsibility.
The attack raised the risk of a further escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that is one of Israel’s most tenacious enemies. The two sides lobbed rockets and artillery at each other for hours afterward. The attack raised the risk of a further escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that is one of Israel’s most tenacious enemies. Both sides lobbed rockets and artillery at each other for hours afterward, though a tense quiet prevailed by midafternoon.
Hezbollah, which had vowed to avenge a deadly Israeli strike on its fighters earlier this month, said in a statement that its Quneitra Martyrs Brigade had carried out the missile strike at 11:35 a.m. Hezbollah, which had vowed to avenge a deadly Israeli strike on its fighters in southern Syria earlier this month, said in a statement that its Quneitra Martyrs Brigade had carried out the missile strike at 11:35 a.m.
The attack was the latest in a string of recent events along Israel’s northern frontiers that have sharply escalated tensions between Israel and Hezbollah after a prolonged period of relative calm since the last war between them in 2006. The flare-up shattered a fragile calm that has mostly held along the frontier since the monthlong war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
About an hour after the initial attack on the Israeli soldiers, several mortar shells were fired at Israeli military positions in the border area and on Mount Hermon in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, without causing injury. A Spanish soldier serving with the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon was also killed during the clashes and Spain was expected to demand investigation into the circumstances of the death. José Manuel García-Margallo, Spain’s foreign minister, told reporters on Thursday that once his government had enough information about how the soldier had died, “its hand will not shake when it comes to demand full responsibilities” for the killing.
The Israeli military said that it had responded with combined aerial and ground strikes at what it called “Hezbollah operational positions” in Lebanon, and that it might take further action. The peacekeeper was killed in an explosion at a United Nations base near the village of Ghajar, said Andrea Tenenti, a spokesman for the force, who said all the parties knew the locations of the bases. The United Nations has not determined whether the fire was Israeli, and an investigation was underway, Mr. Tenenti said.
“Whoever is behind today’s attack will pay the full price,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. He also said the Lebanese government and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who is a Hezbollah ally, “share responsibility for the consequences of the attacks emanating from their territories against the State of Israel.” Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said the military had conveyed its condolences over the death of the Spanish soldier and was investigating the circumstances.
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, described the events as “a severe escalation on our northern border.” Military leaders convened in Tel Aviv to assess the situation. Colonel Lerner said the Israeli soldiers had been traveling in unarmored, unmarked, white vehicles — an Isuzu D-Max truck and a Citroen Berlingo van — on a road civilians also use, about a mile from the border, when they were hit by five antitank missiles fired from less than three miles away. The two soldiers killed were in the first vehicle, which was hit, and the wounded soldiers exited their vehicle to take cover.
Colonel Lerner said Israel had responded immediately with artillery and tank fire and at least one airstrike on targets in southern Lebanon that “are connected with Hezbollah and that could have carried out this attack.” He confirmed that a Spanish member of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the area had been killed and that the military had “conveyed our condolences” and was investigating the circumstances. There were “civilian vehicles also in the vicinity,” Colonel Lerner said. Three areas of the Golan Heights were closed to civilian traffic into the evening.
The Israeli soldiers were traveling in unarmored, unmarked, white vehicles — an Isuzu D-Max truck and a Citroen Berlingo van — on a road civilians also use, about a mile from the border, when they were hit by five antitank missiles fired from less than three miles away, Colonel Lerner said. The two who were killed were in the first vehicle, which was hit, while the wounded exited their vehicle and took cover. About an hour after the initial attack on the soldiers’ convoy, several mortar shells were fired at Israeli military positions in the border area and on Mount Hermon in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, without causing injury.
There were “civilian vehicles also in the vicinity,” Colonel Lerner said. Another missile hit inside the town of Ghajar, though he said he did not yet know whether that was “misdirected or intentional” and the extent of damage there. Three areas of the Golan Heights were closed to civilian traffic into the evening. The Israeli military said that it had responded to the attacks with combined aerial and ground strikes on what it called “Hezbollah operational positions” in Lebanon, and that it might take further action. Israeli government and military leaders were meeting for consultations.
In the early afternoon, the two sides were still firing rockets or artillery at each other, the National News Agency of Lebanon reported. Witnesses in southern Lebanon said that Israeli ordnance had landed on their side of the border, extending from Shebaa to the south. The Lebanese news channel Al Mayadeen also reported that at least eight Israeli rockets had hit southern Lebanon. Tensions have been building up for days in the triangle of territory between Israel, Lebanon and Syria as Israel has braced for retaliation for the airstrike on Jan. 18 that killed five fighters from Hezbollah, including the son of the group’s slain military commander, Imad Mughniyeh, and an Iranian general.
The precise circumstances surrounding the death of the Spanish soldier were unclear. Al Manar, Hezbollah’s news channel, said he had been killed by Israeli shells that hit Abbasiyeh, a village in southern Lebanon. On Tuesday, at least two rockets fired from Syria struck the Israeli-controlled portion of the Golan Heights, without causing injury. Israel responded with artillery toward the suspected launching sites, and overnight it carried out airstrikes in territory under the control of the Syrian Army.
Andrea Tenenti, a spokesman for the peacekeeping force, Unifil, that patrols the cease-fire line dividing Israel and the Golan Heights from Lebanon, said the soldier had been killed in an explosion at a United Nations base. Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in Lebanon, is now fighting in the Syrian civil war on the side of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, further complicating matters and increasing the risk of Israeli entanglement.
The Unifil commander, Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano, “strongly condemned” the attack, Mr. Tenenti said, and had been in touch all day with the Israeli and Lebanese armies, “urging both to exercise utmost restraint.” “Whoever is behind today’s attack will pay the full price,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. He also said the Lebanese and Syrian governments “share responsibility for the consequences of the attacks emanating from their territories against the State of Israel.”
In Madrid, officials said they were still seeking further details on how the soldier had died. José Manuel García-Margallo, Spain’s foreign minister, told reporters that once the Spanish government had complete information, “its hand will not shake when it comes to demand full responsibilities” for the killing.
Israel’s hard-line foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, told his Chinese counterpart during a visit to Beijing that Israel should “change its approach” and respond to the missile attack “in a very harsh and disproportionate manner,” according to a statement on Mr. Lieberman’s Facebook page.Israel’s hard-line foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, told his Chinese counterpart during a visit to Beijing that Israel should “change its approach” and respond to the missile attack “in a very harsh and disproportionate manner,” according to a statement on Mr. Lieberman’s Facebook page.
The hostilities had been building. On Tuesday, at least two rockets fired from Syria struck the Israeli-controlled portion of the Golan Heights, without causing injury. Israel responded immediately with artillery toward the suspected launching sites in Syria, and overnight it carried out airstrikes in territory under the control of the Syrian Army. Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to build a new front against it, with Iran’s help, in the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan Heights. Israeli analysts said that with its actions, Israel was sending a clear message to Iran and Hezbollah that it would not tolerate such a change in the status quo.
Israel’s defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, said the airstrikes were “a clear message that we will not tolerate any fire toward Israeli territory and any violation of our sovereignty, and we will respond with force and determination,” according to a statement from his office. “Until now our relations with Assad were based on a deal of quiet in the Golan Heights in exchange for Israel refraining from intervening in the civil war,” said Professor Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. “Now this has changed. We have seen that Assad is no longer willing or able to prevent Hezbollah activities in the Golan. So all the options are open.”
That exchange came nine days after a deadly airstrike, attributed to Israel, on a convoy in the Syrian portion of the Golan Heights. The airstrike killed five fighters from Hezbollah, including the son of the group’s slain military commander, Imad Mughniyeh, and an Iranian general. Israeli military commentators said that Hezbollah and its Iranian patron had been building an infrastructure in the Syrian Golan Heights with which to attack Israel. Professor Inbar listed three possibilities: a quick end to the hostilities, a war of attrition along Israel’s northern frontier or an escalation.
Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war against Israel in 2006, is now fighting in Syria on the side of Mr. Assad’s government. Israel has long been preparing for what it views as an inevitable next round against Hezbollah, and Professor Inbar said Israel could exploit the current situation as an opportunity to strike at Hezbollah’s arsenal of missiles. But he said Mr. Netanyahu was “usually cautious in matters of war.”
Since that strike, the Israeli Army has been on high alert in expectation of a revenge attack. A top Iranian commander had warned Israel to prepare for a “shattering thunderbolt.” Entering into a full-scale confrontation ahead of Israeli elections scheduled for March 17 would, he said, also be “a gamble.” Mr. Netanyahu, who is viewed by many Israelis as having strong security credentials, is competing for a fourth term in office.
Israeli military analysts had predicted that Hezbollah would exact revenge by targeting Israeli soldiers, but that it would avoid directing attacks at Israeli civilians to reduce the likelihood of a full-scale war. Israeli military analysts had predicted that Hezbollah would attempt revenge by targeting Israeli soldiers, but that it would avoid directing attacks at Israeli civilians to reduce the likelihood of a full-scale war. Still, several retired Israeli military generals said that Wednesday’s exchange was more serious than previous ones, and that it might be difficult to avoid further escalation.
Still, several retired Israeli military generals said that Wednesday’s exchange was more serious than previous ones, and that it might be difficult to avoid further escalation. Israel Ziv, a reserve major general who once led the army’s operations directorate, said in a call with international journalists, “It’s very clear that, very easily from events and retaliation, we will find ourselves in a war that does not belong to Israel.”
“The tension in the north, it’s a very tricky and I would say flammable situation,” Israel Ziv, a reserve major general who once led the army’s operations directorate, said in a call with international journalists. “It’s very clear that, very easily from events and retaliation, we will find ourselves in a war that does not belong to Israel.” The missile attack on Wednesday took place in Shebaa Farms, an area known as Mount Dov in Israel. Lebanon considers it occupied by Israel, and Syria also claims it. Israel captured the area, along with the adjacent Golan Heights, in the 1967 war and later annexed both regions in a move not recognized by the United Nations.
Kobi Marom, a former commander in the north who lives in the Golan Heights, said that both Israel and Hezbollah wanted to avoid another war, but that it might be impossible. The attack had echoes of the cross-border raid by Hezbollah in 2006 that precipitated the war that summer, which left more than 1,000 Lebanese and roughly 160 Israelis dead. At the time, Hezbollah fired an antitank missile at an Israeli border patrol. Three soldiers were killed and two others, badly wounded, were seized and taken into Lebanon, where they died. Five more Israeli soldiers were killed as they gave chase.
“This serious incident with casualties calls for a response,” Mr. Marom said on Israel Radio. “Even if both sides don’t want it, we could deteriorate to a very difficult reality.” The remains of the captured soldiers were returned to Israel in a prisoner exchange in 2008.
The escalation is taking place against the background of an election campaign in Israel. Mr. Netanyahu, who is viewed by many Israelis as having strong security credentials, is competing for a fourth term in office.
Wednesday’s attack took place in the Shebaa Farms, an area known as Mount Dov in Israel. Lebanon considers it occupied by Israel, and Syria also claims it. Israel captured the area, along with the adjacent Golan Heights, in the 1967 war and later annexed both regions in a move not recognized by the United Nations.
Wednesday’s attack had echoes of the cross-border raid by Hezbollah in 2006 that precipitated the war, which left more than 1,000 Lebanese and roughly 160 Israelis dead. At the time, Hezbollah fired an antitank missile at an Israeli border patrol. Three soldiers were killed and two were seized and taken into Lebanon. Five more Israeli soldiers were killed as they gave chase.
The remains of the captured soldiers were returned to Israel in a prisoner exchange in 2008. Israeli officials concluded that both soldiers had been badly wounded in the initial ambush and had probably not survived.
Shortly before the assault on Wednesday, a Hezbollah fighter in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon said by telephone that residents were storing food, fearing an Israeli attack.Shortly before the assault on Wednesday, a Hezbollah fighter in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon said by telephone that residents were storing food, fearing an Israeli attack.
Hezbollah had raised expectations that it would respond to the Israeli attack on the convoy in southern Syria last week. Hezbollah and Iran have provided crucial support to Mr. Assad during the four-year insurgency in Syria, and Hezbollah has provided forces to fight alongside Syrian troops. This represents a major expansion of the group’s mission, beyond its core goal of confronting Israel. Hezbollah, the Shiite paramilitary group that is Lebanon’s most powerful fighting force and political party, had several motivations in responding to the Jan. 18 airstrike that killed its fighters: It is eager to prove that the Syria battle has not hurt its ability to check Israel on the southern border; and its loyalists have demanded revenge for the death of Jihad Mughniyeh, a popular fighter whose father, a prominent Hezbollah commander, was assassinated in 2008.
Hezbollah, the Shiite paramilitary group that is Lebanon’s most powerful fighting force and political party, had several motivations in responding: It is eager to prove that the Syria battle has not detracted from its ability to check Israel on the southern border; and its loyalists have demanded revenge for the death of a popular fighter, Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of a prominent commander assassinated in 2008. Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, declared that the attack was an Israeli attempt to impose “a new equation” on the conflict in Syria, one that could not go unanswered. He also called it proof of what Hezbollah has long contended, that Israel is supporting insurgents in Syria to weaken that country, a longtime Israeli enemy.
Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, declared that the attack was an Israeli attempt to impose “a new equation” on the conflict in Syria, one that could not go unanswered. He also called it proof of what Hezbollah has long contended, that Israel is supporting insurgents in Syria to weaken that country, a longtime enemy. The group could also have been under pressure from Iran, which provides the bulk of its weapons, to avenge the death of the Iranian general.
The group could also be under pressure from Iran, which provides the bulk of its weapons, to avenge the death of the Iranian general.
Analysts had predicted that Hezbollah would try to keep its response proportional, to avoid a repeat of the 2006 war with Israel that devastated much of south Beirut and southern Lebanon. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah wants a new war, analysts say, as each faces security threats elsewhere.Analysts had predicted that Hezbollah would try to keep its response proportional, to avoid a repeat of the 2006 war with Israel that devastated much of south Beirut and southern Lebanon. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah wants a new war, analysts say, as each faces security threats elsewhere.
Yet both sides feel pressure to respond, and what one party considers proportional may be seen by the other as a brazen provocation, creating the risk of inadvertent escalation. In Israel, the main television stations broadcast live all day on the events in the north, much as they did during last summer’s 50-day war against Hamas in Gaza.
The challenges for Lebanon are substantial, and many Lebanese commentators critical of Hezbollah were quick to denounce the party’s decision to strike from Lebanon — potentially making the country a target — rather than from its new footholds inside Syria. Lebanon is already home to more than one million Syrian refugees, and a major Israeli operation targeting southern Lebanon would add another internal-displacement crisis on top of that one. Across southern Lebanon and south Beirut, Hezbollah loyalists celebrated with sweets after Wednesday’s attack and said they were not afraid of retaliation. Some smoked tobacco water pipes near the border, saying they wanted to watch the shelling, and others went about their lives as usual.
The country also faces instability in the north, from Syria-based insurgents who have tried to expand their foothold in Lebanese border territory, recently killing eight Lebanese soldiers. And because of political deadlock, in part linked to the deep divisions in Lebanon over the Syrian war, the country has been without a president for eight months. In the southern Lebanese town of Srifa, a resident who described herself as a Hezbollah loyalist and mother in a family that lost a house in the 2006 war spent the day enjoying a lavish lunch with relatives. She identified herself only by her first and middle name, Aya Haidar, to avoid repercussions when traveling abroad.
Beyond that, in the event of a major escalation and serious damage, Iran, which has providd billions of dollars in financial support to Syria during the war there, according to United Nations officials briefed on the matter, may not be flush enough to provide as quick and lavish of a reconstruction as the one it engineered after the 2006 war. Asked to describe her feelings, she said: “Overwhelmed. Happy. Proud. And truthfully, a bit scared.”
But, she added, it appeared as the day progressed that the attacks would not lead to all-out war because of what she called Israel’s wariness to challenge Hezbollah’s arsenal, which includes long-range missiles.
She called it a new era, in which “we are the scary ones, not the scared.”
People were celebrating with baklava and fireworks, she said, but also hedging their bets, filling their gas tanks, just “in case.”