Goren Elharar, an IDF private, was moderately wounded in the leg by shrapnel during the bombardments. He was evacuated by helicopter to Haifa’s Rambam Hospital along with two of the wounded SLA soldiers. His condition was later described as satisfactory.
On Saturday, Hezbollah vowed to continue its fight against Israel through military means, even if the IDF withdraws from southern Lebanon.
In response, IDF gunners returned fire and Israel Air Force warplanes attacked Hezbollah targets near Barasheet and Jabba villages. An IDF spokesman said all planes returned safely.
The operation was apparently timed to coincide with the meeting in Damascus, in which Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah and senior officials took part.
Military sources said Hezbollah apparently was seeking to carry out a qualitative “showpiece” attack to boost its image and morale after incidents at the end of last week in which Lebanese civilians were killed and wounded by the organization.