The Israeli soldiers reportedly resorted to a medieval-style catapult to launch fireballs over the Lebanon border as its battle against Iran-backed Islamist group Hezbollah intensified.
A video widely circulated on social media platforms shows the soldiers launching a projectile onto a trebuchet, a catapult weapon that hasn’t been in use since the 16th century.
Video shows a catapult launching a fireball over a border wall, but it appears to be limited in its scope.
Watch the video here
Israeli state broadcaster KAN confirmed the authenticity of the video, reporting that the IDF had said that it was a local unit initiative, not a widely used tool.
“The area on the Lebanese border is characterized by boulders, thickets, and dense thorn vegetation, which poses a challenge to the IDF troops deployed in defense.”
During the middle ages, the trebuchet was a weapon commonly used in sieges involving castles and fortified locations, using large stones and projectiles to attack enemy lines.
Since the Gaza war in October 2023, Hezbollah and Israel have been engaging in daily firefights, with a sharp increase in recent days following an Israeli strike that killed the Hezbollah commander.
Israeli strikes have resulted in over 300 Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon, Reuters reported.
Israel reports that 18 Israeli soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed in attacks from Lebanon.
The ongoing firefights have resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.
