From the Liveblog of
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Rogue IDF commander dropped leaflets telling Lebanese villagers to flee — sources
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Flyers dropped in southern Lebanon calling on civilians to flee were distributed by a brigade commander without approval from senior officers, military sources say, as the IDF distances itself from the move.
The army says there are no evacuation orders for civilians in southern Lebanon. It has launched an investigation into the incident.
The flyers, dropped in the Wazzani area, had called on Lebanese civilians in highlighted zones close to the border to evacuate before 4 p.m. because of Hezbollah activity in the area.
The area that was highlighted has been used by Hezbollah to launch numerous attacks at northern Israel in recent months, according to Israel.
Lebanese media report that the Israeli army dropped flyers in the southern Lebanon border village of Wazzani, calling on civilians in the area to evacuate.
The flyers call on people in the highlighted areas on the border, close to Ghajar, to evacuate before 4 p.m. because of… pic.twitter.com/Ld3DEtCPla
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 15, 2024
According to military sources, the move was carried out by the commander of the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade, Col. Avi Marciano, but without receiving permission from the head of the Northern Command or other senior officers.
A small drone operated by the brigade was used to drop the flyers, not the Israeli Air Force, a military source says.
