Hezbollah says 2 ambushes destroyed 10 Israeli Merkava tanks

Hezbollah has released details of what it described as a complex, well-planned ambush carried out by its forces on the Taybeh–Qantara axis in southern Lebanon, which it says resulted in the destruction of 10 Israeli Merkava tanks.

In a statement, the group’s operations room said Israeli forces had sent a remotely controlled bulldozer on Tuesday between the Mhaysibat area in Taybeh and the town of Qantara to scout Hezbollah positions. It said the vehicle was monitored and allowed to proceed in order to lure Israeli forces into an ambush.

The statement added that at 18:50 on Wednesday, an Israeli armoured unit advanced in a column formation from Mhaysibat towards Qantara in preparation to take control of the town. When the vehicles entered the ambush zone, Hezbollah fighters fired guided missiles at the central unit, consisting of four Merkava tanks and a D9 bulldozer, which the group said were completely destroyed.

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It said that as a rear unit of four Merkava tanks attempted to deploy a heavy smoke screen to conceal its position, it was also hit by guided missiles, destroying its combat readiness.

At the same time, Hezbollah said its artillery units targeted Israeli command positions in the Taybeh project area, Rab Thalathin and Oudaiseh, as well as reinforcements sent to evacuate casualties.

According to the statement, a forward unit tried to continue advancing towards the entrance of Qantara but was met with direct missile fire. Hezbollah said one D9 bulldozer and two Merkava tanks were destroyed, forcing Israeli soldiers to abandon the remaining vehicles and withdraw on foot towards Mhaysibat while attempting to evacuate the wounded.

The group said the operation had thwarted the Israeli advance and inflicted losses of 10 tanks and two D9 bulldozers. It added that this brought the total number of Israeli tanks it claims to have destroyed over 48 hours to 18, following a similar ambush two days earlier on the Taybeh–Deir Seryan axis, which it said destroyed eight Merkava tanks.

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