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Israeli civilian parachutist blown into Lebanon evades capture
Nothing on Jackass will ever top this. EFL An Israeli civilian narrowly escaped Hezbollah capture Wednesday afternoon after his hang glider was blown off course and landed some 50 meters inside Lebanese territory, near the Israel Defense Forces' Manara outpost. In the wake of the incident, the United Nations Security Council issued an unprecedented condemnation of Hezbollah recent offensive activities and demanded the Lebanese government take control of the south of the country. The latest incident started around 3 P.M. when parachutist Adam Wexler took to the sky near the Manara cliff and was blown by strong winds into Lebanon. The man was spotted upon landing by three Hezbollah militants, who began moving towards him. Meanwhile, the man sprinted through a mine field in the direction of the nearby Manara outpost. Hezbollah opened fire at IDF troops who rushed to open the gate to let the man back in to Israel. The parachutist arrived unharmed and was handed over to Kiryat Shmona police. "The soldiers saved me," the Wexler told journalists. "If it were not for the IDF, I would now be in Lebanon and I don't know what would have happened to me." IDF and Hezbollah forces continued to exchange fire after the incident. The IDF denied Hezbollah claims that troops crossed the border into Lebanon after the parachutist landed. The IDF also emphasized that the parachutist was involved in "civilian activities" and had entered Lebanon inadvertently. Hezbollah was apparently trying to capture the parachutist, who would have been used in future prisoner exchange negotiations with Israel. Channel 1 TV news reported on Wednesday night that Wexler had ignored an IDF order not to hang glide in the border area. Posted by: Penguin 2005-11-23 |
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