Israel Troops Operating Within Lebanon to Target Hezbollah

Reports show that commandos from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have begun operations inside southern Lebanon with the goal of attacking and eliminating Hezbollah sites close to the border.

Four Israeli Defense Forces soldiers were injured in a mission near the Lebanon border recently, according to Israeli media. The soldiers were the targets of an explosive device.  As a result of the incident, Israeli troops crossed into Lebanon.

In the past, a confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel that lasted for 34 days began on July 12, 2006, when terrorists from Hezbollah breached the border into Israel. Some Israeli troops were killed, and two more were abducted and held captive.

On Monday, an explosion that took place when Israeli forces were conducting operations several hundred meters into Lebanese territory overnight resulted in the injury of four soldiers, one of whom was in critical condition, according to the Israel Defense Forces.  Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, has claimed to be behind the explosion that occurred near the border.

The military stated that the explosion was of “unknown origin.”

The Israeli military said that the event occurred during an operation that was carried out by soldiers from the reconnaissance unit of the Golani Brigade and the highly skilled Yahalom combat engineering unit on  Lebanon’s edge of the border.  The Yahalom unit is in charge of looking for terror tunnels, some of which may lead across Israel’s border.

Israelis are in favor of taking a military approach against Hezbollah, a terrorist group funded by Iran. Since October, Hezbollah has been bombarding Israeli communities in response to the terrorist assault by Hamas, another group backed by Iran.

Many Israelis saw no other option after diplomatic efforts to resolve the Hezbollah conflict failed, despite the United States’ best efforts to dissuade their country from going to war.