11 Israelis injured, 4 Hizballah terrorists killed in failed kidnap attempt on Lebanese border

At least four Hizballah terrorists were killed Monday trying to kidnap soldiers from IDF outposts on the Lebanese border, and seven soldiers and four civilians were wounded in a series of clashes. Hizballah launched simultaneous attacks on several areas along the northern border. With artillery fire as a diversion, Hizballah cells infiltrated the village of Ghajar, part of which is inside Israeli territory, and attacked a post manned by Israeli soldiers at the southern entrance to the village. The soldiers killed four gunmen. In the firefight, several IDF soldiers and four Israeli citizens, residents of Ghajar, were wounded.

The Hizballah shelling continued throughout the afternoon, as a large number of Katyusha rockets and mortar shells fell in Kiryat Shmona, Metula and other northern settlements. Galilee panhandle and Western Galilee residents spent several hours in bomb shelters for the first time since the Israeli military withdrew from Lebanon in May 2000. Defense Minister Mofaz said, "We believe the Syrians and the Iranians are behind the Hizballah fire, using the escalation on the border to direct the spotlight on Israel and away from Syria, which is under tremendous international pressure."