Israeli soldier dies in Lebanon

JERUSALEM, Aug. 19 (JTA) — The fundamentalist Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the death of an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon. Ori Samuelov, 21, of Mevasseret Zion near Jerusalem, was killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb detonated near his army patrol. Four other Israeli soldiers were wounded in the explosion. Samuelov was the 10th Israeli solider killed in Lebanon this year. The attack took place near an Israeli paratroopers outpost in the security zone that was the site of an attack last week, when one Hezbollah gunman managed to enter the outpost. He fled after a fistfight with an Israeli soldier. The Israeli army chief of staff took disciplinary action against several officers and soldiers in the wake of that incident. Shortly after Wednesday’s attack, Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah fighters exchanged heavy fire. The Israeli air force struck at Hezbollah targets in the eastern part of the security zone. Maj. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said roadside bombs remain the “major threat” to Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.