[Sunday evening, December 15, 2013] Israeli military sources have reported that an Israeli soldier was shot and killed by rounds fired from the Lebanese side of the border, adding that a Lebanese soldier fired the shots.Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that Tel Aviv has filed an official complaint against Lebanon with the United Nations, adding that the incident will not likely lead to confrontation between Lebanon and Israel.
The incident took place around 8:30 PM, while an Israeli military vehicle was patrolling a border area.
Haaretz said that approximately six of seven rounds of live ammunition were fired, likely from a light firearm, and from a relatively close range.
Furthermore, the Lebanese army has reported that one of its soldiers is missing, and that Israeli soldiers likely abducted him.
Similar to the Israeli Army, the Lebanese armed forces declared a state of emergency in the area.
In addition, Israeli war jets were seen flying over Lebanese airspace, firing flares to illuminate border areas.
Haaretz also said that a senior Israeli military officer stated that the Israeli military is still weighing its response to the incident, and that it is currently investigating the attack.
The officer stated that the army “will not tolerate attacks against Israel and its citizens”, and “reserves the right to retaliate at the appropriate time and place”, Haaretz said, and added that this is the first attack of its kind in the past three years.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stated that it is holding talks with Tel Aviv and Beirut, in an attempt to prevent further escalation, and that the incident took place on the Israeli side of the border.
The UNIFIL added that it is also investigating the fatal shooting, and that both Israel and Lebanon are cooperating with the investigation.
