Mine Kills Israeli in Lebanon

An Israel Defense Force soldier was killed and an Israeli and a Lebanese soldier were injured when a road mine detonated near Taibe village in the south Lebanon security zone Sunday morning.

The IDF fatality, identified as Yaacov Bardas, was to be buried Monday at the military cemetery in Haifa.

The mine exploded as a joint IDF-South Lebanon Army (SLA) patrol passed the site where it was planted. Military sources were not certain whether it was struck by the vehicle or detonated by remote control.

The sources declined to say whether the incident was linked to the recent clashes between IDF and SLA forces and the extremist Shiite Hezbullah and mainstream Shiite Amal militia. They said, however, that terrorists plant mines without apparent concern whether the victims are Israelis, SLA soldiers or Lebanese civilians. On Thursday, three members of a terrorist gang were killed in a pre-dawn clash with IDF and SLA forces in the northern sector of the security zone. An IDF spokesman said the IDF-SLA force suffered no casualties.

The skirmish began when the IDF force detected the terrorists south of the village of Huneh and opened fire. The fleeing terrorists drew the fire of an SLA force stationed nearby. The dead terrorists, with their weapons, were found in a subsequent search.

The spokesman also disclosed that IDF forces fired at a vehicle driven by two Norwegian members of the UN peacekeeping force. The soldiers, newcomers, had mistakenly strayed on the a road not usually used by the UNIFIL troops.

After firing warning flares, the Israelis shot at the vehicle, damaging it but not harming the Norwegians, the spokesman said. They were released after a few hours’ detention.