Israeli-Palestinian conflict
June 15, 2024
11.10am
The scene, immortalized in a video, has given rise to the most varied theories as to the reasons. The IDF clarified the reasons for the gesture, explaining that it was an autonomous choice by a local unit that monitored the border with Lebanon to avoid attacks by the Islamic group Hezbollah.
Between radars, drones and guided missiles, today it is definitely unusual to see soldiers attacking using a medieval-style catapult and it is even more so if it is done by an army considered among the most powerful in the world like that of Israel. The scene was immortalized in a video that went viral on social media, in which an IDF unit is seen systematically using a catapult created for the occasion to throw fireballs at the enemy that is, towards Lebanon and the positions of Islamic group Hezbollah.
In the video, at least six soldiers are seen standing around what looks very much like a typical siege engine often used in the Middle Ages to storm castles. In the short film you can see the instrument assembled with wooden planks on a metal trolley which throws fireballs just like a trebuchetgiving even more the impression of an ancient battle given that the launches take place near a large wall, actually a concrete barrier to protect the borders.
The scene obviously aroused a lot of interest and gave rise to the most varied theories on the reasons, from the lack of resources, already massively committed in Gaza, to the shortage of ammunition. In reality, as confirmed by the Israeli army to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, it was a local initiative of a unit engaged in the area to deal with a problem that arose at the moment and not of an order or a new model of combat.
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In particular, the scene, which refers to a few weeks ago, sees an action by the IDF military aimed at setting fire to the undergrowth in southern Lebanon where, according to the Israelis, Hezbollah is hiding to get into position and launch attacks in the northern Israel. According to the Israeli newspaper Maari, the trebuchet was the work of the Carmeli reserve brigade who in this way wanted to free the area across the border from shrubs and brambles to make it easier for Israeli forces to identify Hezbollah militants trying to reach the border.
In fact, the video of the trebuchet comes after the attacks from Lebanon caused large fires in northern Israel last week, consuming swaths of land and leading to the evacuation of residents. Attacks in this border area between Israel and Lebanon have increased this month, although the fighting remains at low intensity for now.
