Battle of Bint Jbeil: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 45: | Line 45: | ||
| publisher=Israel, MFA| url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+from+Lebanon-+Hizbullah/Israel-Hizbullah+conflict-+Victims+of+rocket+attacks+and+IDF+casualties+July-Aug+2006.htm}}</ref>. |
| publisher=Israel, MFA| url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+from+Lebanon-+Hizbullah/Israel-Hizbullah+conflict-+Victims+of+rocket+attacks+and+IDF+casualties+July-Aug+2006.htm}}</ref>. |
||
[[August 9]]: West of the Galilee panhandle, dozens of Israeli soldiers were injured during fighting around Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, where Israeli troops have battled militants for much of the four-week conflict, the IDF reported.<ref name=CNN-08-09>{{cite news|title=Israeli tanks stream into Lebanon|date=[[2006-08-09]]|publisher=[[CNN]] |
[[August 9]]: West of the Galilee panhandle, dozens of Israeli soldiers were injured during fighting around Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, where Israeli troops have battled militants for much of the four-week conflict, the IDF reported.<ref name=CNN-08-09>{{cite news|title=Israeli tanks stream into Lebanon|date=[[2006-08-09]]|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/09/mideast.main/index.html}}</ref>. |
||
==References== |
==References== |
||
Revision as of 12:40, 10 August 2006
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| Battle of Bint Jbeil | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict | |||||||
 Map of South Lebanon showing location of Bint Jbeil | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Israel Defense Forces | Hezbollah | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Inconstant | about 200 assumed | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
15 killed.[1] about 60 wounded [citation needed] |
Hezbollah claims to have suffered 12 dead [2], as of July 28. Israel claims about 100 confirmed Hezbollah fighters killed [citation needed]. | ||||||
The Battle of Bint Jbeil is series of ongoing military actions and clashes in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, which it regarded as a "Hezbollah stronghold." Started on July 24 2006, when Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) approached the town. Heavy gun battles between IDF soldiers and Hezbollah guerrillas took place. Some of the shooting was taking place at point-blank range, in homes, and in courtyards.
July 24 - July 29
On July 24 late night, one IDF soldier was killed when his Merkava tank flipped over after driving over a a powerful landmine. Another IDF soldier was killed when an anti-tank missile hit his Merkava. [1][3]
On July 25, the battle began at approximately 5 A.M. when two Israeli companies from Golani Brigade's 51th Battalion, "A" and "C", began advancing down one of Bint Jbeil's streets on parallel routes. Contrary to previous reports, the Hezbollah fighters were not lying in ambush. "Both sides were unaware of each other and it was actually one of our (IDF) soldiers who saw them first and opened fire."[4] However, the Hezbollah fighters were in upper stories of buildings, and had a commanding view of the IDF. In the initial firefight, 30 members of "C" Company, comprising one third of its total strength, were hit, as was the battalion's deputy commander, Maj. Roi Klein, who threw his body over a hand grenade, sacrificing his life for the sake of his soldiers [5].
"A" company began supportive fire to enable the remaining soldiers of "C" Company to evacuate their wounded while continuing to shoot at the enemy. Two additional Golani companies were rushed in to help with the evacuation. Hours later, Israeli Air Force Blackhawk helicopters managed to land under heavy fire and fly the wounded to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. The commanders decided not to risk pilots to evacuate the dead; they were carried out under cover of darkness by a company from the Golani Brigade's 12th Battalion.
"The battle began to their advantage. They were in a much better position, but we won and killed at least 20 Hezbollah fighters. None of the soldiers panicked, they were professional throughout, and that's our advantage over Hezbollah," commander of "A" Company said.[4] Most of the fighting took place at extremely short-range, sometimes only a few meters, also using hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades.
On July 28, troops from the Paratroopers Brigade's 101st Battallion exchanged fire with Hezbollah and killed at least 20 fighters, according to Israeli sources. The fighters were of Hezbollah's elite forces, which were involved in the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers. [6] On July 29, the battle ended as IDF troops pulled out of Bint Jbeil, after clashes with Hezbollah left 6 soldiers wounded and some 26 guerillas dead, according to the IDF. Armored forces continued to operate in the area, however.[7]
Respite
As of July 30, Israel confirmed 10 of its soldiers died in the battle [8][9] , although several international media organizations had initially reported 18 Israeli casualties. Dozens of Golani Brigade soldiers were evacuated into Israel. Israel claims to have killed over 70 Hezbollah millitants, although Hezbollah claims to have lost 32 in the entire conflict as of July 28 [10] and only 12 in Bint Jbeil. [2] Hezbollah secretary Hassan Nasrallah said that Israel suffered a "serious defeat" in ground fighting around Bint Jbeil [11]. And on July 30, it was reported that the IDF forces withdrew from Bint Jbeil "having completed operations there" [9], and that Hezbollah still held the area [12].
August 6 - ongoing
On August 6 eve the battle renewed.
August 7: Hezbollah claimed to kill three Israeli soldiers in Bint Jbeil [13]. IDF confirmed one initially, a soldier from the Paratroopers Brigade was killed, but published later that 2 more soldiers were killed in the fighting when their tank was hit by anti-tank rockets and missiles [14]. Israeli forces killed at least five Hezbollah fighters in Bint Jbeil [15].
August 8: Israeli forces killed three Hezbollah fighters in the villages of Bint Jbeil and Ramiya, the IDF said. According to the Israeli military, five guerrillas were taken prisoner in Bint Jbeil and Shihin [16]. Two soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade were killed [1].
August 9: West of the Galilee panhandle, dozens of Israeli soldiers were injured during fighting around Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, where Israeli troops have battled militants for much of the four-week conflict, the IDF reported.[17].
References
- ^ a b c "Israel-Hizbullah conflict: Victims of rocket attacks and IDF casualties". Israel, MFA.
- ^ a b "Israel - Lebanon war: 12 Hizbullah fighters killed, Israeli soldiers wounded", Al Bawab,
- ^ "Heroism in the battle of Bint Jbail". Jerusalem Post. 2006-07-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "'It was all so very fast - the shooting, the shouting'". Jerusalem Post. 2006-07-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The Face of a Hero". Chabad.org. 2006-08-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "'20 terrorists killed in Bint Jbeil'". Ynetnews. 2006-07-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "IDF leaves Bint Jbail; 6 soldiers hurt in clashes with Hezbollah". Haaretz. 2006-07-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Officer, Soldier Killed and 14 Wounded in North". Israel Defense Forces. 2006-07-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "'IDF Pulls Out of Bint Jbeil'". Israel Defense Forces. 2006-07-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Hezbollah strikes deep into Israel", Al Jazeera, July 28, 2006
- ^ "Hezbollah leader: Israel continuing aggression at U.S.' behest", Haaretz, July 30, 2006
- ^ "The day Israel realised that this was a real war". The Guardian. 2006-07-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Three Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon: report". Reuters. 2006-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "2 more troops killed in Bint Jbeil". Ynetnews. 2006-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "2 more troops killed in Bint Jbeil". Israel Defense Forces. 2006-08-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Fighting rages as diplomatic efforts heat up: report". CNN. 2006-08-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Israeli tanks stream into Lebanon". CNN. 2006-08-09.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)