Flag raised

Israelis capture Lebanese border town

Snapshot from a video shown on Israeli television

(Bild: APA/AFP/UGC)

For a good week now, Israel has also been taking action on the ground against the Shiite terrorist militia Hezbollah. According to the Israelis, over 400 terrorists have already been eliminated in the course of "localized and targeted operations". According to Lebanese sources, hundreds of civilian casualties have also been reported. The Israeli armed forces have now captured a Hezbollah military post near the border.

This information spread from Lebanese security circles (see also video below). Hezbollah, which is allied with Iran, also confirmed that an Israeli flag had been raised at the post near the village of Maroun al-Ras. According to reports, Israeli military vehicles have been spotted near the forces of the UN observer mission UNIFIL, which are also stationed there. 

Israeli minister confirms capture
Israel's Energy Minister Eli Cohen had also previously spoken of the capture of the village of Maroun al-Ras by Israeli ground troops. The advances were part of a larger effort to destroy the infrastructure for launching Hezbollah rockets, the minister said.

Fighting near the blue helmet soldiers
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told the German Press Agency that the situation was worrying. The Israeli army had advanced into Lebanese territory and the armed clashes with Hezbollah were taking place very close to UNIFIL positions. "We are in the middle," said Tenenti. This puts the blue helmets at risk.

Irish soldiers called upon to evacuate the posts
Similar maneuvers had already taken place in recent days. At the end of September, the Israelis asked an Irish outpost to withdraw. Irish and British media reported on this. Austria has also been part of UNIFIL since 2011. Around 170 soldiers are responsible for planning and carrying out transports. In total, around 10,000 soldiers from over 40 nations are involved in the mission. In 2006, four UN soldiers were killed during a similar Israeli offensive when an observation post in southern Lebanon was fired upon, including the Austrian Major Hans Peter Lang.

The Israeli military has not published any figures on how many of its soldiers are deployed in Lebanon. The news portal "Times of Israel" reported that there were "probably more than 15,000" soldiers.