Trapped cell or infiltrators? IDF probe into Lebanon blast - and the army's concern

An IDF investigation is examining two possibilities for the explosion in a village in southern Lebanon that killed two reserve soldiers and wounded four: a bomb planted days before the village was captured by Brigade 511, or a terrorist cell that infiltrated from the village to Al-Mansouri or Tyre. The IDF does not rule out that trapped terrorists planted the bombs. The damaged house overlooks the coastline and the Tyre valley, and the force from Battalion 28 intended to position there to secure the demolition of terrorist structures. The bombs were activated during entry into the house, and the question is whether by remote control or by stepping on a wire.

An IDF investigation is examining two possibilities for the explosion in a village in southern Lebanon that killed two reserve soldiers and wounded four. According to the first possibility, the bomb was planted several days before forces of Brigade 511, the reserve commando brigade, captured the village. The fighters said that Hezbollah secured the village like a fortress, with dozens of terrorists, observation arrays, and booby-trapped routes and buildings. A strategic infrastructure built by Iran under the village's houses forced Hezbollah to defend it heavily. The second possibility is that a terrorist cell from the nearby village of Al-Mansouri or from the city of Tyre infiltrated the village, planted the bombs, and left. The IDF does not rule out that terrorists trapped inside the village planted the bombs. The damaged house is at the northwestern edge of the village, overlooking the coastline and the Tyre valley. The force from Battalion 28 of the reserve paratrooper brigade 55 was about to position in the structure to secure bulldozer operations to demolish buildings suspected as terrorist structures. The bombs were activated during entry into the house, and the question is whether by remote control based on observation from the village to Al-Mansouri or by stepping on a wire. A military source told Maariv that the village has not been cleared, there are more buildings to investigate and destroy, and the force acted to carry out the mission. The IDF is trying to understand when the bomb was planted.