More details on the four Israelis killed 13 wounded
Lebanon, Military, 10/9/1997

Four Israeli soldiers were killed and 13 wounded on October 8 in separate resistance attacks near Markaba, in what appeared to be a carefully-planned ambush to coincide with a top-level meeting between Israel's northern command and senior south Lebanon army officers.

Hizbullah claimed responsibility for the two sophisticated assaults involving roadside bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, providing further evidence that the resistance has gained the upper hand in the southern conflict.

The guerrillas, belonging to the Hadi Nasrallah brigade, denoted a roadside bomb between Markaba and Adaise, severely damaging one of three armored Mercedes cars containing senior Israeli officers, which had just passed through the Al Dwawir border crossing on the Odaissy-Markaba road.

Israel confirmed its causalities and claimed the guerrillas had fired from the safety of civilian homes, violating the 1996 truce.

The blast, which occurred 50 meters from the border, wounded an officer of the elite Golani brigade and a scout, according to the Israeli army. However, there were no deaths in the first attack.

After two hours another resistance unit attacked four more cars at the same location with rocket propelled grenades and heavy machine-guns. "One car burned and direct hits were scored on the patrol," said a Hizbullah statement.

Half an hour later, the guerrillas fired rocket-propelled grenades and mortars at the headquarters of the Israeli 70th brigade near Markaba, sparking a huge blaze. Four Israelis and a member of SLA were killed with another four Israelis and two SLA militiamen wounded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the north of Israel is in a permanent state of war. The Israeli Defense Minister Yizthak Mordachai said that Israel possessed the required means to protect its north but admitted that his country should find a solution for the South Lebanon issue.

Previous Stories:
  Four Israeli soldiers killed, nine wounded in south Lebanon   (10/8/1997)
  Explosive device kills mother and son in the south   (10/6/1997)
  Beirut mass rally commemorates Hadi Nasrallah and companions   (9/22/1997)

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