Three Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers were injured today by a powerful roadside bomb in the Har Dov sector near Shebaa Farms. The bomb was detonated by Hizbullah terrorists. Two of the soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to the Safed hospital. Israel Air Force attack helicopters and combat aircraft raided Hizbullah targets in the eastern sector. IDF posts in the area also fired at Hizbullah targets.
This was the gravest incident along Israel’s northern border since the IDF’s withdrawal from Lebanon. For the first time since the pullout, the IDF attacked Hizbullah targets on Lebanese territory.
The powerful bomb exploded when an IDF patrol was passing by. The explosive charge was laid on Israeli territory, 900 meters from the international border. A preliminary investigation revealed that the other soldiers on patrol were saved by their armored vehicles.
Prime Minister Ehud Barak today said that the situation in Har Dov is extremely sensitive and liable to flare up.
Defense sources lost no time in charging the Lebanese government with responsibility for the attack. Minister of Foreign Affairs Shlomo Ben-Ami called on the UN to intensify its presence in Har Dov, stressing that the UN recognized Israel’s claim that Shebaa Farms used to belong to Syria, rather than to Lebanon.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 26 November, 2000