An Israeli soldier died and two others were wounded in an attack by the Lebanese Shia Hizbollah in the disputed Shebaa Farms area today, a Lebanese security official said.
The attack occurred at 12.30 p.m. (10.30 a.m. Irish time) when two bombs exploded and mortar fire was directed at the patrol.
He said an Israeli army jeep took a direct hit.
The Shia Hizbollah admitted the attack in a statement which said the group's guerrillas scored a direct hit on an Israeli jeep and that all of its occupants were "killed or wounded."
The attack was to mark "the week of homage to the martyrs of the Lebanese Islamic Resistance," or Hizbollah's military wing, said the statement.
In retaliation, the Israeli army fired about 60 shells on the outskirts of the villages of Kfar Shouba, Majidiyeh, Abassiyeh and Meri located near the Shebaa Farms, without inflicting casualties, Lebanese police said.
Meanwhile, Israeli helicopters hovered over the region, they said.
Hizbollah has carried out three similar attacks against Israeli troops in the past four months, including a bombing that wounded three Israeli soldiers on November 26th.
AFP
