Israel uses trebuchet to set wildfires in Lebanon
Despite US attempts to douse the possibility of Middle-East-wide conflict from igniting, tensions and all-out fighting on the Israel-Lebanon border appear to be escalating. In an attempt to flush out Hezbollah militants near the border, Israeli forces attempted to set wildfires in southern Lebanon.
Israeli troops used a medieval trebuchet to set wildfires in southern Lebanon on June 13th, according to the Times of Israel.
After reviewing online footage, The Times of Israel reported that soldiers used an advanced catapult typical of the Middle Ages, to launch incendiary ammunition into forested areas on the Lebanese side of the border.
An army spokesperson confirmed the use of the weapon but said that it was a “local initiative and not a tool that has come into widespread use”.
Israel-Hezbollah clashes broke out on October 8th, 2024, a day after a major Hamas attack on southern Israel which killed 1,139 people, according to an AFP tally.
A Gaza Health Ministry estimate counts Israel’s retaliatory invasion to have killed over 37,000 to date.
READ: UN probe finds Gaza killings crimes against humanity
On June 12th, Hezbollah launched over 200 rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for the death of a senior commander the previous evening.
AFP counts at least 467 people to have been killed in Lebanon in almost eight months of fighting, including up to 90 civilians.
Israel says at least 15 Israeli soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed.
US officials are determined to prevent an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah from breaking out, with the Biden administration anxious as to how war might spread like wildfire across the greater Middle East region.
The Times of Israel / AFP
