ISRAEL: Exchanges of fire break out between Lebanese gunmen and Israeli Army as paraglider accidentally drifts over border

Record ID: 398488

  • Title: ISRAEL: Exchanges of fire break out between Lebanese gunmen and Israeli Army as paraglider accidentally drifts over border
  • Date: 24th November 2005
  • Summary: SOLDIER AIMING WEAPON AT LEBANON
  • Embargoed: 9th December 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA8FEX9FDMBV8JLEP4DMFZV4U3A
  • Story Text: Israeli troops exchanged fire with Hizbollah gunmen on Wednesday (November 23) to provide cover for an Israeli paraglider pilot who drifted into Lebanon by accident, military sources said. They said the paraglider, which took off from the Israeli border town of Manara, went astray and landed just inside Lebanese territory. "Soldiers who were near that spot saw him land. They basically opened a gate in the fence and told him to go through it," a source said. Military sources earlier said troops had entered Lebanon briefly to rescue the pilot. The paraglider was taken by Israeli authorities for questioning. Handcuffed, he was taken to a police station and was put in custody. "I feel well well, thank God. You can imagine it was not pleasing experience," Adam Vexler told reporters at the police station. Hizbollah sources confirmed the brief gunfight with Israeli troops at Mais El-Jabal, a Lebanese village just across the border from Manara. There were no reports of casualties on either side. The exchange of fire came two days after the worst clashes at the border in five years. Four guerrillas were killed and 11 Israeli troops wounded in what Lebanese security sources said was a botched Hizbollah attempt to kidnap soldiers.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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