Deadly ambush
 catches enemy patrol by surprise in ‘safest’ part of the zone

   Monday’s deadly ambush staged by Hizbullah guerrillas occurred beside a position that "Israeli" officers long considered one of the safest postings in south Lebanon.
The Izzieh outpost, located on a conical hill above the village of Deir Mimes, is very rarely attacked, even by long-range mortar fire. Traditionally, the post’s safety and its proximity to the border with "Israel", 2 kilometers away, made the post a popular viewing point for "Israeli" officials visiting the zone.
From accounts by Hizbullah and local residents as well as the geography of the area, it would appear that the two resistance squads that staged the ambush were hidden in dense undergrowth on a ridge just east of the village of Yohmor overlooking the 200-meter deep Litani River Gorge. The Izzieh outpost lies on the other side of the Litani in clear view of the guerrillas, 1 kilometer away.
The ambush was carefully coordinated. From the footage of the ambush broadcast by Al-Manar television, the "Israeli" patrol was walking near the Izzieh position at 11.15am when Hizbullah unleashed at least three Sagger anti-tank rockets at the soldiers.
Moments later, Hizbullah mortar teams began pounding the Izzieh post, as well as the "Israeli"-manned Beaufort Castle, 1 kilometer north, and the Dabsheh outpost overlooking Nabatieh, 8 kilometers north.
Residents in Yohmor said they heard three anti-tank missiles being fired by Hizbullah and the sound of the explosions seconds later.
The "Israelis" began shelling the area around Yohmor in an effort to hit the resistance squads as they stole away from the scene of the ambush.
Three 155mm shells exploded in a row less than 10 meters from Rabia Allaq’s house.
“When I heard the shells, I began screaming to my neighbor for help,” she said. “I thought my house would fall on my head. It was very frightening.”
Another resident of Yohmor, Linda Qassem, 26, fainted when she heard the explosions as the ambush was launched. She was admitted to hospital in nearby Nabatieh before being sent home. “I’ve always been afraid of shelling,” she said quietly, “this time more than usual.”
Several phosphorous rounds were fired at the outskirts of the village and "Israeli" warplanes raided the outskirts of Khorbet Selem and Shoukine opposite the central sector, but no casualties were reported. At least one building was damaged in an air raid on Ain Bousoir in Iqleem al-Toffah.
Allaq said that she rejoiced at the news that three "Israeli" soldiers had been killed.
“After all the frightening things that the "Israeli" put us through every day,” she said, “it was right that the resistance was able to kill some "Israeli" soldiers.”
Wajih Barakat, a shopkeeper in the village, said he feared the "Israeli" proxy militiamen occupying neighboring Arnoun would blockade the single road leading out of Yohmor.
“They might put up a checkpoint at Arnoun and stop us from leaving,” he said.