Troops use trebuchet to launch incendiaries at Lebanon
Middle ages-style catapult used to spark blazes on other side of northern border, where dense vegetation poses challenge to IDF
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Footage circulating on social media on Thursday showed Israeli soldiers using a trebuchet to launch incendiaries at Lebanon, to spark fires on the other side of the border.
The Lebanon border area has dense vegetation, which poses a challenge to Israeli forces.
It is believed such fires are intended to aid the army in identifying terrorists trying to infiltrate Israel or carry out attacks on the border.
The Israel Defense Forces had no comment on the footage, and it was unclear when it was filmed.
A trebuchet is a type of powerful catapult employed in the Middle Ages. Their use declined significantly around the mid-15th century, with the introduction of gunpowder.
The Hezbollah terror group has been attacking northern Israel from Lebanon border for the past eight months, saying it is doing so to support Palestinians amid Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and displacing tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes. Its rocket and drone attacks have drawn retaliatory Israeli fire, and raised concerns of a wider conflict.
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