Wrap-Up - 2 Israeli Troops, Un Peacekeeper Killed İn Shabaa Attacks

Two Israeli troops and a UN peacekeeper were killed on Wednesday in violence that erupted in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms between Lebanon's Hezbollah group and the Israeli army.



Israel confirmed two troops had been killed in an attack by Hezbollah on an Israeli military convoy in the Shebaa Farms region.



"The two soldiers were killed when an anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah hit an army vehicle near the border fence," the Israeli army said.



It added that seven other troops had been injured in the same attack, noting that they had been admitted to the Rambam Hospital in Haifa and the Rivka Ziv medical center in Safed.



The Israeli army fired artillery at several sites in southern Lebanon after the attack on its convoy.



A Spanish member of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in the region since 1978, had been confirmed killed.



While the UNIFIL said it was still investigating his death, a Lebanese security source said the peacekeeper had been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory.



Earlier Wednesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the Shebaa Farms attack as a retaliation for the killing of six of its fighters – along with six Iranians – in a drone strike in Syria.



The slain fighters had included two Hezbollah commanders and the son of Imad Mughniyah, a Hezbollah leader killed by a car bomb in Syria in 2008.



Until now, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the Syria airstrike.



For over two years, Hezbollah has been openly engaged in the conflict in Syria, where it continues to fight alongside Syrian regime forces.



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Wednesday that any group that sought to challenge Israel should draw a lesson from the embattled Gaza Strip.



"Everyone who is trying to challenge us on the northern borders, I recommend them to look what happened near from here in Gaza," he said.



In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in which more than 1,200 Lebanese – mostly civilians – were killed.



In the same conflict, 160 Israelis – mostly soldiers – lost their lives.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Beyrut