Beirut, Lebanon – The Lebanese army announced on Saturday morning the martyrdom of three of its soldiers.
It issued an official statement detailing what it described as
a hostile Israeli landing operation carried out at dawn in the Bekaa Valley region of eastern Lebanon.
The operation resulted in casualties among the army and a number of civilians.
Israeli landing in Baalbek
Army units detected four hostile Israeli helicopters over the Khraibeh-Baalbek area on the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Two of the helicopters landed a hostile force in the vicinity,
coinciding with a heavy and widespread aerial bombardment of neighboring villages.
The army stated that its units immediately implemented mobilization and defense measures,
and launched flares to illuminate the landing zone.
However, the landed force had already disappeared from view by that point.
Exchange of fire in Nabi Sheet
The operation included heavy shelling and combing of the area.
This was followed by an exchange of fire between the enemy force and local residents,
as the force moved from its initial landing site towards the Nabi Sheet area.
The Israeli shelling accompanying the operation continued until approximately 3:00 AM.
The shelling resulted in the deaths of three Lebanese soldiers and several civilian casualties
due to the intense bombardment that accompanied all phases of the operation.
