Israeli army shoots two Lebanese soldiers on border

Dec. 16, 2013 | 5:34 AM |

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The Lebanese soldier who went missing after opening fire at an Israeli military vehicle Sunday night has reportedly returned to his base.

According to a report in Lebanon's National News Agency on Monday, the soldier had been hiding in a thicket since the shooting, and returned to his base Monday morning. It was not yet clear what actions - disciplinary or other - would be taken against the soldier.

Israeli and Lebanese officials were scheduled to hold a meeting Monday under at the UNIFIL headquarters located on the countries' border.

Earlier Monday, the Lebanese army denied reports that the soldier had missing Sunday night and that it suspected he was in Israeli hands.

According to a report published Monday morning in the Lebanese Aljoumhouria newspaper, the Lebanese army was still investigating the incident and no formal statement had been issued.

An Israeli soldier was killed on the northern border Sunday evening by shots fired from Lebanon by a Lebanese army soldier.

An Israel Defense Forces vehicle being driven on the military road near the border, just east of the IDF outpost at Rosh Hanikra, was fired on at about 8:30 P.M. The shooter fired six or seven bullets from a pistol, evidently from a short distance. The IDF vehicle was on its way to the outpost, which operates Navy radar. Army lookouts saw some armed men gathering on the Lebanese side of the border. Their estimate was that these were Lebanese soldiers, not Hezbollah men.

Hours later, the IDF shot two Lebanese soldiers. According to IDF spokeswoman Lt. Libby Weiss, the shooting took place just after midnight Monday, when the Israeli forces identified 'suspicious movement' along the border.

Weiss said the shooting occurred near where a Lebanese army sniper killed an Israeli soldier late Sunday. She had no details on the condition of the Lebanese soldiers.

Calls to Lebanese army officials went unanswered. The UN peacekeeping force along the Israel-Lebanon border said it had no information about a shooting Monday.

The shootings raise the possibility of renewed fighting in the volatile area, which has remained mostly quiet since a month-long summer war in 2006.

Quiet prevailed on the border Monday morning, according to a Lebanese report.