Summary of IDF Activity in Lebanon in the Past 24 Hours

In accordance with the decision of the political echelon the IDF is continuing with the current ground operation in southern Lebanon.

In fighting over the course of the past 24 hours 19 IDF soldiers have been
killed. (plus the five shot down = 24)

Since Friday night hundreds of IDF troops were airlifted into southern Lebanon. Last night an IDF helicopter was shot down over southern Lebanon, its crew of five are missing in action and feared dead. Since July 12th IAF pilots have flown over 3,000 helicopter sorties over Lebanon.

The IDF carried over 100 aerial attacks, targeting over 50 Hezbollah command stations and structures, 2 missile launchers (including a 302mil launcher, located near Adasheit), 2 vehicles transporting weaponry from Syria to Baal-Bek, 6 Hezbollah gasoline reserves, a weaponry storage facility, bunkers, bridges and access routes were targeted to prevent the
smuggling of weaponry and impair the mobility of Hezbollah terrorists.

Over 40 Hezbollah terrorists were killed by IDF forces in the past 24 hours.

Saturday night ground forces killed an additional 14 Hezbollah terrorists in the areas of Beit Yahun, Shema, Ghandouriyeh and Aita A-Shaeb. In Aita A-Shaeb forces uncovered and destroyed a ready-to-launch 'Fagot' missile and an 8 barrel missile launcher. In Rajamin forces destroyed a structure from where Hezbollah was firing mortar shells at the forces in the area.

80 Katyusha rockets were fired into Israel over the past 24 hours, wounding seven Israeli civilians. The majority of Katyusha rockets launched yesterday landed in the areas of Kiryat Shmona and Maalot, adjacent to the border.

These rockets were mostly the longer-range 122mil Katyusha rockets which previous to the expansion of IDF activity in southern Lebanon had reached far deeper south into Israel.

40 Israeli civilians have been killed and 594 have been wounded from Hezbollah rockets since July 12th 2006.

A separate announcement will be issued with the details of the IDF soldiers who were killed or wounded.