Hizbullah has confirmed the death of one of its fighters by the Israeli Army in clashes in the South last week, a killing the Israelis justified as self-defense against an attempted kidnapping operation. Milhem Hassan Salhab, 35, from Sidon was announced "a hero and a martyr" in an official statement released by the Islamic resistance group Sunday night.| I hope his departure from the gene pool was a painful experience... |
Last week's clash is the latest encounter between Hizbullah and Israel, with the previous violence dating back to January, and which resulted in the death of one Israeli soldier, a Hizbullah fighter and a United Nations observer. The Hizbullah attack triggered Israeli air and ground retaliations for two days on suspected Hizbullah locations near the Shebaa Farms, an area that has become the focus of Hizbullah attacks on the Israeli forces since Israel withdrew its troops from Southern Lebanon back in May of 2000.