At least four Hezbollah gunmen were killed yesterday trying to kidnap soldiers from IDF outposts on the Lebanese border, and seven soldiers and four civilians were wounded in the series of clashes.
Galilee panhandle and Western Galilee residents spent several hours in bomb shelters for the first time since the Israeli military withdrew from Lebanon in May 2000.
Yesterday's incidents were the most serious since three soldiers were kidnapped from the frontier Har Dov area in October 2000. The Shiite organization also fired Katyusha rockets at Galilee settlements and shelled the area.
Senior defense officials decided last night on a restrained response, if Hezbollah ceases its fire. Hezbollah sent Israel a message last night via the UN that it is interested in calm, and Israeli officials are inclined to consent. Israel also asked the U.S., EU and UN to pressure the Lebanese government to restore order. Mofaz did approve a series of more aggressive steps, should the Hezbollah fire continue.
Hezbollah gunmen launched simultaneous attacks on several areas along the northern border, beginning at about 2:45 p.m. At first, apparently as a diversion, artillery fire hit IDF bases at Har Dov. There were no injuries. In addition, a farmer was shot at in a field near Metula. He was also not wounded.
A state of high alert was declared at the military posts along the border, and it quickly became clear that these two strikes were only the first steps in a concerted Hezbollah attack, the main objective being an apparent double kidnapping attempt from IDF posts.
Near the central Har Dov post Gladiola, under the cover of the shelling, two Hezbollah gunmen infiltrated very close to the base. There was an exchange of fire during which at least one of the infiltrators was killed. A number of paratroopers at the post were wounded in the incident, including the company commander, who is in moderate condition. The army continued to scour the area late last night to determine whether more Hezbollah gunmen were in the area.
A number of Hezbollah cells, traveling to the village on dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles, infiltrated the village of Ghajar, part of which is inside Israeli territory. A close-range firefight took place, as the gunmen reached a guard post manned by Golani soldiers at the southern entrance to the village. The soldiers killed three gunmen and apparently wounded one, all of whom were reportedly members of a cell dispatched to launch RPGs at the IDF position. The rest of the gunmen escaped in cars they took from villagers at gunpoint.
In the firefight, several IDF soldiers and four Israeli citizens, residents of Ghajar, were wounded. Military sources praised the soldiers' response, saying their alertness prevented a kidnapping. Northern Command sources have not eliminated the possibility that the Gladiola attack was also designed to kidnap a soldier.
The Hezbollah shelling continued throughout the afternoon, as a large number of Katyusha rockets and mortar shells fell in Kiryat Shmona, Metula and other northern settlements. A Metula home took a direct hit from an anti-tank missile, but there were no injuries in the shelling. A senior IDF officer told Haaretz that the shelling apparently targeted military positions, and the homes damaged were quite close to outposts.
Explosions could be heard near the northern border town of Shlomi around 7 p.m. Police and army personnel combed the town and found four Katyusha rockets near an army base that had caused no damage or injuries. The area was put on alert, and residents entered bomb shelters.
The IDF responded with artillery and tank fire as well as air strikes on 13 Hezbollah positions inside Lebanese territory including a regional command post. It is unknown if Hezbollah members were injured in those attacks.
Yesterday's attack did not come as a surprise - the IDF had forecast for the last two weeks that the Shiite organization would try a "quality attack" along the border, and the level of alert in the area was raised and reinforcements were deployed.
A meeting convened last night by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz decided on a restrained response. The IDF argued that Hezbollah suffered a failure and Israeli losses had been relatively minor. Senior officers argued that a harsh response "would play into Hezbollah hands and ignite the region."
In contrast, Hezbollah blamed Israel yesterday for the escalation. A senior member of the organization, Hassan Az a-Din, told Lebanese television that Lebanon faces a "planned Israeli attack," which Sharon initiated in order to extract himself from his internal political difficulties.
Mofaz said at a news conference last night that "Israel will do everything to protect its citizens on the northern border. IDF forces are doing everything they can to grant residents security. We believe the Syrians and the Iranians are behind the Hezbollah fire, using the escalation on the border to direct the spotlight on Israel and away from Syria, which is under tremendous international pressure."
Eli Ashkenazi and Jack Khoury contributed to this report.
