January 2015 Shebaa farms incident

As a response to an attack against a military convoy comprising Hezbollah and Iranian officers on January 18, 2015 at Quneitra in south of Syria, the Lebanese Hezbollah group launched an ambush on January 28 against an Israeli military convoy in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, firing anti-tank missiles against two Israeli Humvees patrolling the border,^[2] killing 2 and wounding 7 Israeli soldiers and officers, according to Israeli military. The number of Israeli casualties was 15 according to a report by Al Mayadeen. A Spanish UN peacekeeper was also killed by Israeli fire^[3] during consequent fire exchanges in the area, with Israel firing artillery and Hezbollah responding by mortar shells. The conflict stopped at afternoon, after UNIFIL mediation.

Background

During Syrian Civil War, Hezbollah has had increasing presence in south of Syria. At the same time, Israel was accused for launching several airstrikes against Hezbollah and Syrian Army strategic targets in south of Syria during the civil war, though it denied involvement. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah had warned that it would retaliate against possible Israeli attacks against Hezbollah inside Syria.^[4]

On January 18, 2015, an airstrike was launched against a convoy that killed six Hezbollah militants, including two of its prominent members and Iranian Revolutionary Guards general Mohammad Ali Allahdadi at al-Amal Farms (Mazraat Amal) in the Quneitra District of Syria, in the Golan Heights. Hezbollah and IRGC held Israel responsible and threatened to retaliate.^[5] Amid official Israeli silence, a flurry of statements from anonymous Israeli officials have made contradictory claims, one saying that Israel believed it was attacking only low-ranking Hezbollah militants planning an attack on Israelis at the frontier fence. One Israeli official reportedly apologized anonymously.^[6]

On January 27, at least two rockets from Syria hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and Israel responded with 20 artillery fire and airstrikes against Syrian army artillery positions.^[7] A senior IDF official held Hezbollah responsible.^[8]

Attack

On January 28, 2015, at 11:25am (UTC+02:00), a Hezbollah unit, "al-Quneitra Martyrs' group" (مجموعة شهداء القنيطرة, a reference to the attack in Quneitra against a Hezbollah convoy), consisted of 5 militants,^[9] fired anti-tank missiles (supposedly 9M133 Kornet)^[10] at two Humvees of an Israeli military convoy of 432nd "Tsabar" Infantry Battalion of the Givati Brigade in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms near the Lebanon border. Hezbollah immediately issued a brief statement^[11] claiming responsibility for the attack.^[12] A Lebanese army spokesman later said the missile was not fired from Lebanese territory.^[13]

Two hours after the initial attack, Israel fired at least 50 artillery shells into Shebaa Farms and the surrounding hills and South Lebanese border villages, and Israeli warplanes carried out mock air raids over the scene of the attack.^[13][14] Hezbollah responded by mortar shells against Israeli positions on the Mount Dov area along the northern border.^[8]

Commander of the UNIFIL forces Major General Luciano Portolano called all parties to restraint in order to prevent any escalation of the situation. No shelling was heard after calls for restraint came out around 2 pm. However, Israeli warplanes still hovered overhead.^[12]

Aftermath

The Hezbollah attack on the Israeli convoy at Shebaa farms killed two and wounded seven Israeli soldiers, according to Israeli military.^[13][15] The IDF identified the victims as Sergeant Dor Chaim Nini, 20, and Captain Yochai Kalangel, 25.^[8] This is while Al Mayadeen satellite channel stated that 15 soldiers had been killed in the attack according to unnamed sources.^[16][17]

A Spanish UN peacekeeper, Cpl. Francisco Javier Soria Toledo, was also killed by Israeli army who later admitted the kill and claimed that it had no intentions to harm UN troops.^[18]

Flights were suspended at the Israeli airports in Rosh Pina and Haifa.^[12]

In Beirut, celebratory gunfire could be heard in the afternoon after the attack.^[19]

According to the Robert Tait in The Telegraph, Israel stood on the brink of all-out conflict with Hezbollah by performing air and ground strikes against it in retaliation to the incident,^[20] though while things were tense neither side was interested in having this escalate further. No Israeli reserve soldiers were mobilized, thus indicating that an "all-out conflict" was out of the question.

Reactions

• Hezbollah — Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made a speech two days after the attack, during a memorial ceremony to honor the victims of the Quneitra attack. He pointed out that the war is now tit-for-tat, comparing the similarities between the two incidents. He added that Hezbollah would retaliate against any future Israeli attacks and that the group is "no longer concerned with anything called the 'rules of engagement'" and it is Hezbollah's "legal ... and moral right to confront the aggression at any time, any place and in any form whatsoever". He concluded that "we don’t want a war—this is not weak talk—but we are not afraid of war".^[21][22]
•  Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid the blame on Iran for the attack, saying "For some time, Iran – via Hezbollah – has been trying to establish an additional terrorist front against us from the Golan Heights", and that Israel is taking action against it". He warned "those behind today’s attack" that they will "pay the full price."^[23] Israel's foreign minister said his country must respond "harshly and disproportionately", and Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor said in a letter to the Security Council that Israel "will not stand by as Hezbollah targets Israelis".^[24]
•  Iran — IRGC said it "will fight next to the Islamic resistance movement Hezbollah in all its fights against the Zionist State."^[25] IRGC Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said "Iran and Hezbollah responses to the Israeli regime are the same", adding that the response given was "the least".^[26]
•  Lebanon — A Lebanese Foreign Ministry statement said that Hezbollah’s attack did not amount to a violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 since it targeted an Israeli military convoy inside the Shebaa Farms, which it claims is occupied Lebanese territory.^[24] Prime Minister Tammam Salam condemned the Israeli military escalation in South Lebanon and expressed concern regarding the “aggressive intentions expressed by the Israeli officials and the deterioration of the situation it could lead to in Lebanon",^[25] added that Lebanon "stands in one rank behind the legitimate armed forces in their mission to defend its territories and the security of its citizens". Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri praised Hezbollah's operation. Leader of Lebanese Forces political party Samir Geagea criticized Hezbollah for putting the country in danger. Leader of Popular Nasserist Organization Osama Saad described the operation as "heroic".^[9]
•  Spain — Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey sent his condolences to the Spanish UN peacekeeper's family.^[24]
•  United States — The United States "strongly condemned" Hezbollah's attack and called it "a blatant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701." State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that US supports Israel's "legitimate right to self defense."^[27]
•  European Union — The European Union called on Hezbollah and any other group to stop attacking Israel along its northern border warning that such violence threatened to break the 2006 cease-fire. EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said "the threats to Israel on its northern border must stop."^[28]
•  United Nations
  • United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) — Commander of UNIFIL forces Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano urged "maximum restraint" from all parties to prevent escalation on the Lebanese–Israeli frontier.^[29]
•  Palestine — Hezbollah's attack was hailed by the Palestinian groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and Popular Resistance Committees (PRC).^[30] "We affirm Hezbollah's right to respond to the Israeli occupation," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, while Jihad's al-Quds Brigades hailed the attack as "heroic."^[25]

References

Coordinates: 33°17′32″N 35°42′31″E / 33.2922°N 35.7086°E / 33.2922; 35.7086