Hoodwinked Israeli soldier loses ammunition clip on blue line

An enterprising Lebanese resident came away from an encounter with the Israeli army on the blue line with an unusual souvenir on Tuesday. 

During operations along the border, an unobservant Israeli soldier misplaced an ammunition clip to an unarmed local, according to the Israeli army. 

"During operations on the Israel-Lebanon border, dozens of 'suspects' gathered on the Lebanese side of the blue line. One suspect approached a soldier and stole the ammunition clip from their weapon," said Israeli army chief Avichai Adrai in a tweet on Tuesday. 

"The incident is under investigation," said Adrai. 

خلال نشاط هندسي على الحدود مع لبنان تجمهر عشرات المشتبه فيهم من الجهة اللبنانية للخط الأزرق حيث اقترب أحد المشتبه فيهم الى أفراد القوة وأخذ مشط ذخيرة من سلاح أحدهم. الحادث قيد التحقيق

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) March 7, 2023

When the army chief refers to ‘suspects’, it is likely he is referring to local Lebanese residents, one of whom saw a rare opportunity to take a memento from an Israeli soldier. 

There is no lost-and-found number available online for handing in the mislaid property of the Israeli army, in the unimaginable event that a Lebanese national feels the need to return weaponry to a military that has laid waste to their country.  

قوة من #اليونيفيل تقف أمام قوة إسرائيلية معادية استنفرت بعد قيام احد المدنيين اللبنانيين بنزع "مخزن رصاص" من بندقية جندي صهيوني أثناء اقترابه كثيرا من #الخط_الأزرق 😊 pic.twitter.com/mb4gCzMeWI

— علي شعيب || Ali Shoeib 🇱🇧 (@alishoeib1970) March 7, 2023

The incident came as tensions along the border area increased in recent days and weeks. 

The Lebanese army said on Sunday it had repelled an incursion by Israeli forces beyond the blue line between the two countries. 

A statement by the military said that Israeli troops violated the border at the village of Aita al-Shaab following a surge in troop presence on the Israeli side. 

Last month, there were calls for the removal of a barbed wire fence erected by Israel's military on Lebanese land.

Lebanon highlights regular Israeli violations of its airspace, land, and territorial waters. It has repeatedly urged the UN to intervene to stop these violations.