Images showing two IDF soldiers being carried away on a stretcher after a missile struck a military vehicle were staged in order to deceive Hezbollah, according to Israeli media reports.
An anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah from inside Lebanon landed just inside the Israeli border on Sunday, hitting an IDF armored vehicle. The Israeli military then dispatched a helicopter to evacuate two soldiers who were apparently wounded in the attack.
But appearances can be deceiving. According to Israeli media, the rescue operation was staged in order to trick Hezbollah into thinking that its attack had been successful and that further strikes would not be necessary.
(נדרשתי לצייץ מחדש) תרגיל ההונאה שצהל נקט אחה״צ: המסוק לא פינה פצועים כי לא היו פצועים. הפינוי המוסק כולו תוכנן מראש כפעולת הונאה, שמטרתה לגרום לחיזבאללה לחשוב שהצליח לפגוע בחיילים. שימו לב לרמת ההפקה pic.twitter.com/EYWuUNdt2p
Footage of the soldiers being evacuated were circulated in the media, but the ‘wounded’ servicemen were immediately released upon arriving at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center, the hospital said. The IDF later reported that there were no casualties in the attack.
The alleged deception appears to have worked, with Hezbollah even stating that it did not interfere with the medical evacuation.
The IDF declined to comment on the purported ruse when contacted by RT. If genuine, the staged evacuation wouldn’t be the first time that the Israeli military has tried to mislead its enemies. Last week, Lebanese media spotted a military vehicle parked along the northern border with dummies dressed in IDF uniforms inside.
