Type Ambush Start date January 28, 2015 Executed by Hezbollah | Outcome Successful Location Shebaa farms Combatants Hezbollah, Israel | |
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Objective To attack an Israeli military convoy as a response to January 2015 Mazraat Amal incident Casualties 2 Humvees destroyed
2 Israelis killed, 7 lightly-moderately wounded
1 Spanish UN peacekeeper killed by Israeli fire during cross shellings in the area. Similar 2000–06 Shebaa Farms co, Israeli–Lebanese conflict, 2006 Hezbollah cross‑bor, South Lebanon conflict (1, Palestinian insurgency in South | ||
As a response to an attack against a military convoy comprising Hezbollah and Iranian officers on January 18, 2015 at Quneitra in south of Syria, the Lebanese Hezbollah group launched an ambush on January 28 against an Israeli military convoy in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, firing anti-tank missiles against two Israeli Humvees patrolling the border, killing 2 and wounding 7 Israeli soldiers and officers, according to Israeli military. The number of Israeli casualties was 15 according to a report by Al Mayadeen. A Spanish UN peacekeeper was also killed by Israeli fire during consequent fire exchanges in the area, with Israel firing artillery and Hezbollah responding by mortar shells. The conflict stopped at afternoon, after UNIFIL mediation.
Contents
Background
During Syrian Civil War, Hezbollah has had increasing presence in south of Syria. At the same time, Israel was accused for launching several airstrikes against Hezbollah and Syrian Army strategic targets in south of Syria during the civil war, though it denied involvement. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah had warned that it would retaliate against possible Israeli attacks against Hezbollah inside Syria.
On January 18, 2015, an airstrike was launched against a convoy that killed six Hezbollah militants, including two of its prominent members and Iranian Revolutionary Guards general Mohammad Ali Allahdadi at al-Amal Farms (Mazraat Amal) in the Quneitra District of Syria, in the Golan Heights. Hezbollah and IRGC held Israel responsible and threatened to retaliate. Amid official Israeli silence, a flurry of statements from anonymous Israeli officials have made contradictory claims, one saying that Israel believed it was attacking only low-ranking Hezbollah militants planning an attack on Israelis at the frontier fence. One Israeli official reportedly apologized anonymously.
On January 27, at least two rockets from Syria hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and Israel responded with 20 artillery fire and airstrikes against Syrian army artillery positions. A senior IDF official held Hezbollah responsible.
Attack
On January 28, 2015, at 11:25am (UTC+02:00), a Hezbollah unit, "al-Quneitra Martyrs' group" (مجموعة شهداء القنيطرة, a reference to the attack in Quneitra against a Hezbollah convoy), consisted of 5 militants, fired anti-tank missiles (supposedly Kornet) at two Humvees of an Israeli military convoy of Tsabar Battalion of Givati Brigade in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa farms near the Lebanon border. Hezbollah immediately issued a brief statement claiming responsibility for the attack. A Lebanese army spokesman said the missile was not fired from Lebanese territory.
Two hours after the initial attack, Israel fired at least 50 artillery shells into Shebaa Farms and the surrounding hills and South Lebanese border villages, and Israeli warplanes carried out mock air raids over the scene of the attack. Hezbollah responded by mortar shells against Israeli positions on the Mount Dov area along the northern border.
Commander of the UNIFIL forces Major General Luciano Portolano called all parties to restraint in order to prevent any escalation of the situation. No shelling was heard after calls for restraint came out around 2 pm. However, Israeli warplanes still hovered overhead.
Aftermath
The Hezbollah attack on the Israeli convoy at Shebaa farms killed two and wounded seven Israeli soldiers, according to Israeli military. The IDF identified the victims as Sergeant Dor Chaim Nini, 20, and Captain Yochai Kalangel, 25. This is while Al Mayadeen satellite channel stated that 15 soldiers had been killed in the attack according to unnamed sources.
A Spanish UN peacekeeper, Cpl. Francisco Javier Soria Toledo, was also killed by Israeli army who later admitted the kill and claimed that it had no intentions to harm UN troops.
Flights were suspended at the Israeli airports in Rosh Pina and Haifa.
In Beirut, celebratory gunfire could be heard in the afternoon after the attack.
According to the Robert Tait in The Telegraph, Israel stood on the brink of all-out conflict with Hezbollah by performing air and ground strikes against it in retaliation to the incident, though while things were tense neither side was interested in having this escalate further. No Israeli reserve soldiers were mobilized, thus indicating that an "all-out conflict" was out of the question.