I guess an oops is in order?
Hezbollah downed a Lebanese Army helicopter on Thursday in what Israeli officials believe was a case of mistaken identity: The Shi’ite militiamen apparently thought they were firing at an Israeli chopper.
The incident occurred as the helicopter flew over an area of southern Lebanon known to be a Hezbollah stronghold. The attack killed a navigator and forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing, Lebanese officials said.
Details about the incident were sketchy, as the military quickly sealed off the area. But a Lebanese Army statement said the helicopter was on a training mission when it came under fire from armed elements and was forced down in the highlands of the Iqlim al-Tuffah province. The helicopter was apparently flying at low altitude.
The statement said 1st Lt. Samer Hanna, a navigator, was killed and that the aircraft was damaged. No one else in the crew was hurt and the army was investigating, it added.
Hezbollah declined to comment on the incident. The militant group has in the past condemned attacks against the military, with which it occasionally coordinates.
However, Israeli officials attributed the attack to Hezbollah, noting that the organization has recently been trying to improve its anti-aircraft capabilities with the goal of downing Israeli planes. They also said that Hezbollah has been on edge recently for fear of an Israeli attack.
And it’s not just Israeli officials. Al Arabiya quotes the Lebanese daily as-Safir as reporting it was Hizbullah thinking they were shooting at an Israeli helicopter.
A daily newspaper on Friday reported that the Lebanese army helicopter that was hit by gunfire in south Lebanon was targeted by Hezbollah fighters who thought the aircraft was Israeli.
The aircraft had landed and taken off again in a training drill. Hezbollah gunmen in the area “thought that there was an Israeli landing attempt (under way) and opened fire in the direction of the helicopter, hitting it”, Lebanese daily as-Safir said.
All this story is missing is the requisite finger-pointing at Israel.
Or is it?
A top Shi’ite cleric, Sheik Abdul-Amir Kabalan, urged the army to investigate swiftly. He suggested that a collaborator with Israel may have fired on the aircraft.
