A Syrian Hezbollah fighter surrendered himself on Wednesday to the Israeli Defense Forces following an attempt to seek refuge in the Christian village of Rmaych, a Lebanese border town currently inside Israel’s 5-10 kilometer forward defense line, a local official told This Is Beirut.
The fighter, Syrian-national Abdullah Ahmad El Obed, sustained serious shrapnel injuries to the back while fighting in Bint Jbeil, before escaping through the wilderness and spending days without food, according to the source.
On his entry into Rmaych on Wednesday morning, Israeli surveillance drones began circling the border town before Israeli military officials called the Lebanese Civil Defense Forces in the town and organized a call with the wounded fighter.
After briefly speaking on the phone, El Obed agreed to hand himself over to Israeli military, walking to a predetermined meeting point outside of town where he surrendered himself and was taken by the army into Israel.
Israeli forces said they had encircled Bint Jbeil by April 13, with concentrated fighting persisting in the large urban municipality for days. Lebanon’s National News Agency has reported renewed clashes in the town since the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, as recently as April 18.
The local official told This is Beirut that the Hezbollah fighter is believed to be the last survivor of his unit, though it is unclear to which unit he belonged.
Comments