Israel acknowledges failure of a landing operation in Lebanon to search for a pilot’s remains

Israeli aircraft carried out about 40 strikes to secure the withdrawal of their forces and reduce losses.

The Israeli army has acknowledged the failure of a landing operation carried out by its forces in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in an attempt to recover the remains of a pilot who has been missing for forty years. At the same time, intensive airstrikes on the area resulted in the deaths of more than twenty people.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported details of the attempt, stating that it began with “the detection of an Israeli commando unit deployed by four Apache helicopters in a mountainous area on the slopes of the eastern Lebanese mountain range, between the towns of Khirbet, Maareboun, and Yahfoufa in the east.”

According to the agency, the group infiltrated under the cover of darkness toward the Chokr family cemetery in the eastern district of the town of Nabi Chit. After being spotted by resistance members and local residents, clashes erupted with the Israeli elements using light and medium weapons.

The agency added that, in order to prevent the Israeli force from being captured, fighter jets and helicopters intervened heavily, carrying out around forty strikes to cut off supply routes and prevent vehicles and fighters from moving toward the cemetery. It added that “the enemy quickly carried out an evacuation by helicopter to reduce its losses after the infiltrating force came under rocket fire and heavy gunfire, in which residents of Nabi Chit and nearby villages also participated.”

It reported that “the confrontation resulted in 26 martyrs, including three soldiers from the Lebanese army and one member of the General Security,” while the Israeli side, as usual, did not disclose its human losses. The agency also stated that the Israeli army “prepared the ground for its operation with thirteen intense strikes intended to divert attention from its plan, targeting the center and outskirts of Nabi Chit and committing a massacre against the town’s unarmed residents, in addition to launching several strikes on surrounding highlands and nearby villages.”

According to Lebanese media, this was the first landing attempt carried out by Israeli forces in Lebanon since the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel resumed on Monday.

Regarding the same operation, Hezbollah said in a statement issued on Saturday that it had “detected on Friday evening the infiltration of four Israeli helicopters coming from the Syrian side, which deployed an infantry force at the junction of the mountainous areas of the villages of Yahfoufa, Khirbet, and Maareboun in the eastern mountain range of Bekaa province.”

The statement added that “the hostile Israeli force advanced toward the eastern district of the village of Nabi Chit, and upon reaching the village cemetery our fighters engaged it.” It continued that “the confrontation intensified after the enemy force was exposed, prompting the Israeli army to carry out fire belts consisting of about forty strikes to secure the withdrawal of its forces.”

Hezbollah also stated that its artillery “carried out concentrated shelling around the area of the clashes and along the route of the withdrawing force,” noting that residents of the area participated in providing supporting fire during the confrontation with the Israeli forces.

Earlier on Saturday morning, Al-Manar television, affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that the Israeli army “attempted to carry out a landing operation in the mountainous highlands of the eastern Bekaa range but failed,” without knowing the objectives of the operation. The channel added that “Israeli warplanes withdrew from the skies over Bekaa after being confronted by air defense systems.”

For its part, the local news website Lebanon Today reported that clashes occurred in the village of Nabi Chit in Bekaa province, adding that “Israeli helicopters were flying intensively over the eastern Bekaa mountain range.”

Lebanon became more deeply involved in the conflict sweeping the Middle East on Monday when the Iran-backed Hezbollah group launched rockets and drones toward Israel, which responded with heavy bombardment on southern and eastern Lebanon as well as areas near the capital Beirut.