Israeli Navy Sinks Boat Off Lebanon; 2 Die
Military officials said the Israeli navy sank a guerrilla boat off Lebanon today, and Israel radio said the two people aboard the rubber dinghy were killed.
An army official said the navy vessel was on a routine patrol when it spotted the guerrilla boat near the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre.
The navy vessel opened fire, sinking the boat, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with military regulations. He would not provide further details.
Israel radio said the two guerrillas aboard were killed when the navy vessel attacked the dinghy at about 3 a.m.
The radio quoted navy commander Gen. Avraham Ben Shoshan as saying that Arab guerrillas have stepped up attempts to infiltrate Israel by sea.
The last reported sinking of a vessel carrying guerrillas came Feb. 28. The army said then the guerrillas were on their way from Tyre to Israel to attack unspecified targets. The army said it did not know how many guerrillas were aboard or whether any of them were killed.
On Dec. 11, fighters from Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian Shia Muslim group, opened fire on an Israeli patrol vessel, killing one soldier. The Israeli craft sank the Hezbollah boat, and four militiamen drowned.
Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982. It withdrew the bulk of its forces three years later, but some Israeli troops remain in an Israeli-designated “security zone” in south Lebanon.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
