An armed Palestinian terrorist, apparently intending to infiltrate into Israel near Kibbutz Misgav Am in the Galilee panhandle, was wounded and captured by an Israel Defense Force patrol in the southern Lebanon security zone early Saturday morning.
It was the second infiltration attempt foiled in 10 days, when the Israel-backed South Lebanon Army killed three would-be infiltrators near the scene of the latest encounter.
According to IDF officers, three or four terrorists were spotted by a patrol Friday night moving through brush land north of Markabe village, less than three miles from the Israeli border.
The patrol opened fire, wounding one intruder. The others escaped. The group was armed with Kalachnikov assault rifles and dozens of grenades.
The terrorist squad planned to carry out a “murderous attack” on an Israeli settlement in the Galilee panhandle, the IDF officers said.
Meanwhile, the IDF continued to investigate the car-bomb attack which wounded five Israeli soldiers and one SLA militiaman in the security zone north of Metulla last week.
About 550 pounds of explosives were concealed in the truck, which was driven by a lone suicide commando who managed to enter the security zone and drive through it undetected.
The IDF said it has determined there was only one person in the car, as announced by Hezbollah, the Shiite extremist organization which claimed responsibility for the attack.
Security measures have been tightened in the area to forestall a recurrence.
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