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Israeli and Lebanese Soldiers Trade Fire Near Border Israel and Lebanon Try to Defuse Tensions After Cross-Border Shooting
(about 5 hours later)
JERUSALEM — Israeli soldiers shot at two Lebanese soldiers across the Israeli-Lebanese border late Sunday, apparently killing one, hours after a sniper believed to be from the Lebanese Army shot and killed an Israeli soldier in the same area, Israeli military officials said on Monday. As a result Israeli forces were put on heightened alert along the tense but usually calm border. JERUSALEM — Israel and Lebanon appeared to be trying to defuse tensions on Monday after a cross-border shooting that killed an Israeli soldier and subsequent fire from Israeli forces that may have hit a soldier on the Lebanese side.
The flare-up began at around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday when the Israeli soldier, Master Sgt. Shlomi Cohen, 31, was shot and killed while driving in a military vehicle close to the border crossing of Rosh Hanikra, according to the Israeli military. Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that Lebanese Army forces had fired at Israeli forces along the border near the Naqoura crossing. Military liaison officers from the two countries met with representatives of Unifil, the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, at a border crossing near where the shootings occurred late Sunday to clarify the circumstances and restore calm.
Around midnight, Israeli forces were patrolling the area where the shooting had taken place and identified “suspicious movements,” said Lt. Libby Weiss, a spokeswoman for the Israeli military. She added that “due to the perceived threat” that they posed, the Israeli soldiers had fired “precise shots” at two suspects, who were believed to have been involved in the earlier shooting of Sergeant Cohen. The commander of Unifil, Maj. Gen. Paolo Serra, said preliminary findings indicated that the shooting of the Israeli soldier was “an individual action” by a Lebanese Army soldier “in contravention of the existing operational rules and procedures,” Agence France-Presse reported.
Lieutenant Weiss said that the two suspects were members of the Lebanese armed forces and that one was apparently killed. The Lebanese Army command issued a statement describing that shooting as an isolated episode and said that a military committee was investigating the matter.
“It is in nobody’s interest for things to escalate but it is our right to defend our border,” she added. Late Sunday, hours after the initial shooting, Israeli troops fired at two Lebanese soldiers in the same area who were described by the Israelis as moving suspiciously. An Israeli military spokeswoman said that at least one of the two Lebanese soldiers was hit by Israeli fire, but there were no reports of casualties from the Lebanese side.
Israel’s defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, described the killing of the Israeli soldier as “a very grave incident.” He said that Israel held the Lebanese government and army responsible for what happened on their side of the border and that Israel expected an explanation. The Israeli defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, described the killing of the Israeli soldier, Master Sgt. Shlomi Cohen, 31, as “a very grave incident.” He said that Israel held the Lebanese government and army responsible for what happened on their side of the border, and that Israel awaited an explanation. “We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty along any border,” he added.
Mr. Yaalon said that liaison officials from the Israeli and Lebanese armies were expected to meet on Monday with representatives of Unifil, the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, in an effort to investigate the episode. But Mr. Yaalon also suggested that the killing was the work of a “rogue” Lebanese soldier, indicating that Israel was unlikely to take any major action against Lebanon.
“We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty along any border,” Mr. Yaalon said. The Israeli-Lebanese border has been tense but mostly quiet since 2006, when a United Nations-brokered cease-fire ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite organization. The war began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed several more in a cross-border raid. Afterward, the Lebanese Army was deployed along the border.
Last week, shots were fired toward an Israeli patrol from across the border, but the Israeli military said it may have been errant fire from Lebanese hunters. The flare-up on Sunday began at around 8:30 p.m. when Master Sergeant Cohen was driving from one military base along the border to another as part of his regular military duties, according to Lt. Libby Weiss, the military spokeswoman. Lieutenant Weiss said he was in uniform and driving an army-issued car that had no obvious military markings. The shooting took place near the border crossing of Rosh Hanikra, known as Ras Naqoura in Lebanon.
In 2006, Israel fought a 34-day war with Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite organization. It began when Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed several more in a cross-border raid. That conflict ended with a United Nations-brokered cease-fire that has kept the border mostly quiet. “It is in nobody’s interest for things to escalate, but it is our right to defend our border,” Lieutenant Weiss said.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes and drones had circled over various regions of Lebanon on Monday, and Lieutenant Weiss said Israeli forces in the area were placed on heightened alert.
Shots were fired toward an Israeli patrol from across the border last week, but the Israeli military said that shooting may have been errant fire from Lebanese hunters.