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Last update - 23:45 28/08/2008
Did Hezbollah shoot down Lebanese military helicopter?
By The Associated Press
Tags: Lebanon, Hezbollah, Israel

Attackers opened fire at a military helicopter as it flew over a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon on Thursday, killing a navigator and forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing, the Lebanese army
said.

A Lebanese army statement said the helicopter was on a training mission when it came under fire from armed elements and was forced down in the highlands of the Iqlim al-Tuffah province.
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The statement said 1st Lt. Samer Hanna was killed and that the aircraft had been damaged. No other crew members were injured.

Hezbollah did not comment on the shooting. The armed militant group has not clashed with the Lebanese military in recent years and their forces often coordinate their activities. It is likely, for example, that the army would have informed Hezbollah that one of its helicopters would be flying over the area.

Thursday's incident occurred outside the U.N. peacekeeping zone near Lebanon's southern border with Israel. The area is also patrolled by Lebanese troops.

A top Shiite cleric, Sheik Abdul-Amir Kabalan, urged the Lebanese army to investigate swiftly and suggested that a collaborator with Israel may have fired on the aircraft.

The area where the incident took place is a predominantly Shiite Muslim region southeast of the southern port city of Sidon, far from Lebanon's sensitive Syrian and Israeli borders.

The shooting took place over a stronghold of the Shiite Hezbollah militants, who are believed to have bases and concealed positions there.

In an unrelated incident, security officials said Israeli warplanes flew over southern Lebanese villages in apparent reconnaissance missions on Thursday.

Israeli Air Force flights over southern Lebanon are an almost daily occurrence. Lebanon and the United Nations consider them a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.

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      1.   A collaborator from ISRAEL? 20:27  |  Mike 28/08/08
      2.   Hezbollah are cowards. 20:53  |  Dmitry 28/08/08
      3.   That`s what`s called "friendly fire", ha ha 20:54  |  Free Gilad Shalit 28/08/08
      4.   What a wise group of people 21:09  |  Soldier of Above 28/08/08
      5.   Meanwhile over Sidon. something went wrong. 21:17  |  Stephen 28/08/08
      6.   Why on earth 21:26  |  ChanahS 28/08/08
      7.   Simply a `friendly fire incident` - terrorists showing their love 21:28  |  Arie 28/08/08
      8.   Hizballah`s cleric: Blame Israel 21:32  |  GK 28/08/08
      9.   How do you say oops in Lebanon? 21:49  |  maoriboy 28/08/08
      10.   Collaborator 22:10  |  Howie 28/08/08
      11.   When in doubt, scapegoat Israel 22:23  |  Gili 28/08/08
      12.   lebanese airspace 22:57  |  northern neighbor 28/08/08
      13.   they were practicing with live amunition that`s all .. 23:01  |  redmike 28/08/08
      14.   Just Another Gunfight at the OK Corral 23:08  |  Gil 28/08/08
      15.   #3 Chanah 23:21  |  X 28/08/08
      16.   Natellie, where are you? This is an Israeli attack! 23:48  |  Israeli citizen 28/08/08
      17.   Most probably Hezbollah 23:53  |  Mohamad 28/08/08
      18.   Hezbollah shoot down Lebanese military 00:03  |  Ralph 29/08/08
      19.   Collaborator with Israel. Never knew Lebanese were so funny 00:11  |  McQueen 29/08/08
      20.   Bwahahahaha 00:40  |  Fish 29/08/08
      21.   # 7 northern neighbor....Hezbollah did it 01:03  |  Lynn 29/08/08
      22.   HEZBALLAH killed dozens in Beirut just a few months back 01:19  |  PETER SM 29/08/08
      23.   Iran `s spy 03:00  |  Ettounsi 29/08/08
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