Four Israeli soldiers killed, nine wounded in south Lebanon
Lebanon, Military, 10/8/1997

Lebanese guerrillas on Wednesday killed four Israeli soldiers and wounded nine others in a series of attacks inside an Israeli-occupied border enclave in south Lebanon, security sources said. A Lebanese woman and a militia man from the South Lebanon Army--Israel's proxy militia in south Lebanon--were also wounded in guerrilla rocket fire that followed the attacks.

Wednesday's hostilities began when Hizbullah guerrillas detonated a roadside bomb near an Israeli patrol in the village of Markaba, about 200 meters from the Israeli border in the occupied zone, the sources said.

Two soldiers were wounded in the blast. Shortly afterwards, the guerrillas detonated another roadside bomb near an Israeli patrol several hundred meters from the site of the first explosion, killing four soldiers and injuring seven others, the sources added.

They said the dead and wounded were evacuated by military helicopters to hospitals in Israel.

Meanwhile guerrillas on the edge of the occupied zone fired dozens of rockets on the area, causing panicked civilians to run indoors for shelter.

At least 30 rockets hit the area, slightly injuring a Lebanese woman and a militia man from the Israeli-allied South Lebanon Lahd Army.

Israeli troops and SLA militiamen retaliated with artillery fire on suspected Hizbullah strongholds in the vicinity of villages facing the occupied enclave.

Wednesday's casualties raised to 37 dead and 75 wounded the number of Israeli casualties in south Lebanon this year, the highest number of casualties in one year since Israel set up the border enclave in 1985.

Previous Stories:
  Israeli artillery shells Lebanese areas - Lahd forces attacked   (10/8/1997)
  A new arrest in Arnoon   (10/7/1997)
  Explosive device kills mother and son in the south   (10/6/1997)

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