Soldiers involved in a clash in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, are disputing the IDF’s official account of the incident in which an Oketz female fighter was killed and a Hezbollah terrorist was said to have been eliminated.

According to the IDF, reserve troops from the 679th Yiftah Brigade operating under the 91st Division searched a building where a previous encounter had taken place. The military said a Hezbollah terrorist inside the structure opened fire on the troops, who returned fire, and that the terrorist was killed by an Oketz fighter. The IDF said Israeli soldiers were wounded in the incident, in addition to the death of the combat dog.

But soldiers from the brigade told Ynet the clash unfolded differently. According to their account, the force — including Oketz troops — surrounded the compound and came under fire from inside the building. The exchange killed the Oketz dog, and the Oketz fighter fired two rounds toward the source of the gunfire.

The soldiers said the force was then evacuated from the area while still under fire, after which brigade troops entered the compound and conducted searches. Roughly an hour later, after Oketz forces and their dogs had already left the area, troops identified a Hezbollah terrorist who surrendered and was taken alive for questioning. They added that later on, a brigade commander and one of the fighters encountered another Hezbollah terrorist wearing a vest and carrying combat equipment, and opened fire at him.

The soldiers’ version directly contradicts the IDF statement, which said the Oketz fighter killed the Hezbollah terrorist during the encounter. At the time of publication, the report said, the IDF had not responded to the soldiers’ claims.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)