Hezbollah Shoots Down Israeli Helicopter

Townhall

Hezbollah said Saturday its guerrillas shot down an Israeli military helicopter in southern Lebanon.

The aircraft was shot down in the Maryamein valley near the village of Yater, and other helicopters scrambled to the area to try to rescue the crew. The Israeli army had no comment on the report.

The claim, carried on Hezbollah's al-Manar TV, said the helicopter was brought down by a new missile, the "Waad" (Arabic for Promise,) in the Islamic militant group's arsenal.

The area had seen heavy ground combat Saturday during which hundreds of Israeli troops were airlifted to positions deep inside southern Lebanon and tanks punched across terrain to grab more territory before an expected cessation of hostilities Monday morning.

If the claim proves true [db: Has since been confirmed by Israel], it would be Israel's first loss of a helicopter in Lebanon in the monthlong conflict. Two helicopters collided and crashed and a third crashed separately in northern Israel early on in the fighting.

Hezbollah guerrillas crippled an Israeli warship with a missile on July 15. Link