An Israeli Wolf armoured vehicle used as medical transport with 5 IDF soldiers inside barely escaped a direct hit by missiles launched by Hezbollah on 1 September, Israeli Haaretz reported without identifying sources. According to the media outlet, the road, which the transport used, was deemed too dangerous to use at the time of the tensions with the Lebanon-based group, but, for reasons unknown, the driver still picked the route in violation of IDF command directives.
The IDF itself has yet to comment on the report but said earlier that the affected transport was empty when it was hit. Hezbollah claims the missile strike killed and injured Israeli soldiers. IDF claims contradicted the video, shown by Al-Manar TV, purportedly affiliated with Hezbollah, and allegedly depicting the attack on the transport.
#BREAKING #Hezbollah-linked Al-Manar TV is broadcasting now the video of yesterday’s ATGM attack against an IDF armored vehicle in northern Israel pic.twitter.com/Kct9hqjwsY
— Yosef Yisrael (@yosefyisrael25) September 2, 2019
The video shows the likely crewed vehicle moving, along the road and two Cornet guided missiles targeting it. While the first missile nearly missed the vehicle, it's unclear whether the second one reached the target, due to extensive smoke from the first explosion. Another video, allegedly showing the incident from another angle, showed the Wolf armoured vehicle speeding out from a smoke cloud resembling those created by missile explosions.
Hezbollah fired 2-3 anti-tank missiles from Lebanon, hitting an IDF military outpost and ambulance in northern Israel. We fired at the Hezbollah squad responsible. No Israelis were injured in the attack.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 1, 2019
The IDF reported that Hezbollah had fired several anti-tank missiles from Lebanon's territory on 1 September at an Israeli military outpost and at what was initially called an "ambulance" with the military later clarifying it was an empty armoured transport vehicle used in this role. Tel Aviv responded to the attack by firing over 100 artillery shells into southern Lebanon and launching at least one airstrike against the Hezbollah cell, thought responsible for the attack.
Tensions between Hezbollah and Israel escalated on Sunday, 25 August when Lebanon reported that Israeli drones had entered the country's airspace and dropped incendiary bombs on its territory, with one drone reportedly targeting Hezbollah's media office in the Beirut suburbs. While Tel Aviv hasn't officially confirmed conducting the strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that they had in his 27 August speech, adding that Israel will "defend its security by any means necessary".
The latest escalation between the two states is the most significant since the Lebanon War, which lasted between 12 July and 14 August in 2006 and ended through a ceasefire under a UN Security Council 1701 Resolution.
