ISRAEL has been filmed using a medieval siege weapon to launch fireballs into Lebanon.
The strange footage showed troops using a catapult-like weapon to launch firebombs across the border in an apparent attempt to stop Hezbollah fighters from infiltrating the perimeter.
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The clip shows Israeli troops near a trebuchet as it powerfully launches a large flaming object over the thick border wall to land in Lebanese territory.
Such a weapon had not been used in battle since the mid-15th century, when it was used to siege castles and other fortifications.
It fell into disuse after the invention of gunpowder.
Responding to the images, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: “This is a local initiative and not a widely used tool.”
A second clip also showed what appeared to be troops shooting a flaming arrow over the border, in a slower and even more primitive method of starting fires.
The IDF said Lebanon’s border areas are covered in dense vegetation, rocks and thickets, posing challenges for its troops.
Reports suggest that border soldiers were not allowed to use artillery to burn vegetation.
In response, it appears they took matters into their own hands and used the Middle Ages-style catapult to launch flaming objects across the border.
Destroying any tree cover would make it more difficult for the enemy to covertly try to breach the border.
Since the bloody Hamas attack on October 7, Israel’s military has been engaged in almost daily cross-border fire with Hezbollah on its northern front.
The Israeli-backed terrorist group claims to be fighting in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
However, irregular rocket and drone attacks prompted mass evacuations eight months ago that emptied northern Israel.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF is “prepared for extremely powerful action in the north.”
His comments suggested that Israel was considering extending its Gaza offensive to the northern border with Lebanon.
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This week, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah increased dramatically following the assassination of the Lebanese militia’s most senior military commander, Sami Taleb Abdullah, in an Israeli airstrike.
A Lebanese military source said he was the “most important” Hezbollah commander killed since the start of the war.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah promised to intensify its attacks in revenge, which it followed with a bombardment of around 250 rockets on northern Israel – the largest attack in a single day since the start of the current conflict.
In recent weeks, border conflicts have increased, with Hezbollah intensifying the use of drones to attack Israeli army positions and Israel reacting with targeted attacks against the militants.
Cross-border violence has killed at least 468 people in Lebanon, including 89 civilians.
Israeli authorities say at least 15 Israeli soldiers and 11 civilians were killed.
Addressing the situation along the border, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that his country, the US and Israel would work together to ease tensions in the area.
Speaking at a G7 summit in Italy, Macron said the three countries would “advance on the roadmap we proposed. We will do the same with the Lebanese authorities.”
The French proposal involves the suspension of attacks on both sides and the withdrawal of militants 10 km from the border.
It comes as Israel criticizes a “disgusting” United Nations report alleging it killed more than a dozen of its own people during the October 7 attacks.
The UN claims that the Israeli military activated the “Hannibal Directive”, which supports the killing of its own soldiers to prevent them from becoming hostages.
It reportedly recorded “strong evidence” that the Hannibal Directive was applied multiple times on October 7, “harming Israelis while attacking Palestinian militants.”
A 68-year-old grandmother and 12-year-old twins were among 14 Israeli civilians who, according to UN investigators, “were likely killed as a result of fire by Israeli security forces.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
