2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid

"Operation Truthful Promise" redirects here. For the Iranian strikes named Operation True Promise, see April 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel.

2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid
Part of the 2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict and the 2006 Lebanon War
Date12 July 2006
Around 9:00 am (GMT+2)
Location
Lebanon–Israel border
33°06′01″N 35°19′12″E / 33.10028°N 35.32000°E / 33.10028; 35.32000
Result

Hezbollah military victory

Belligerents
Israel Israel Hezbollah
Casualties and losses
8 killed
2 wounded
2 captured[1]		 None
2 Israeli civilians wounded[2]

The 2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid was a cross-border attack carried out by Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants on an Israeli military patrol on 12 July 2006 on Israeli territory.

Using rockets fired on several Israeli towns as a diversion, Hezbollah militants crossed from Lebanon into Israel[3] and ambushed two Israeli Army vehicles, killing three soldiers and capturing two other soldiers. Another five soldiers were killed inside Lebanese territory in a failed rescue attempt. Hezbollah demanded the release of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel in exchange for the release of the captured soldiers. Israel refused and launched a large-scale ground and air campaign across Lebanon in response to the Hezbollah raid. This marked the start of the 2006 Lebanon War and the end of the 2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict. Two years later, on 16 July 2008, the bodies of the two captured soldiers were returned to Israel by Hezbollah in exchange for Samir Kuntar and four Hezbollah prisoners.

Hezbollah originally named the cross-border operation "Freedom for Samir Al-Quntar and his brothers", but eventually shortened it to "Operation Truthful Promise" (Arabic: عملية الوعد الصادق).[4]

  1. ^ Robert Berger (6 December 2006). "Captured Israeli soldiers may be dead". CBS News. Archived from the original on 27 January 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  2. ^ "The Final Winograd Commission Report, p. 597 (Hebrew)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  3. ^ Myre, Greg; Erlanger, Steven (13 July 2006). "Clashes Spread to Lebanon as Hezbollah Raids Israel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2006.
  4. ^ "Press Conference with Hasan Nasrallah". Understanding The Present Crisis. 12 July 2006. Archived from the original on 17 November 2006. Retrieved 13 November 2006.