View source for 2000 Hezbollah cross-border raid

{{Short description|2000 capture and killing of Israeli border troops by Lebanese militants}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = 2000 Hezbollah cross-border raid
| partof            = the [[2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict]], the [[Israeli–Lebanese conflict]], and the [[Iran–Israel proxy conflict]]
| image             = Shvuim-handasa01.jpg
| caption           = Coffins of the Israeli soldiers abducted and killed by Hezbollah during the raid
| date              = 7 October 2000<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/hezbollah-terrorist-attacks-against-israel-2000-2006|title = Hezbollah Terrorist Attacks Against Israel (2000-2006)}}</ref>
| place             = [[Blue Line (Lebanon)|Israel–Lebanon border]]
| coordinates       = {{coord|33|17|0|N|35|42|0|E|display=inline}}
| map_type          = 
| latitude          = 
| longitude         = 
| map_size          = 
| map_marksize      = 
| map_caption       = 
| map_label         = 
| territory         = 
| result            = Hezbollah victory
*Outbreak of 2-month-long exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah on the border
| status            = 
| combatant1        = {{flag|Israel}}
| combatant2        = {{flag|Hezbollah}}
| combatant3        = 
| commander1        = 
| commander2        = 
| commander3        = 
| units1            = 
| units2            = 
| units3            = 
| strength1         = 
| strength2         = 
| strength3         = 
| casualties1       = 3 soldiers captured (later died)
| casualties2       = Unknown
| casualties3       = 
| notes             = 
| campaignbox       = 
}}
{{Campaignbox Shebaa Farms conflict}}
{{Campaignbox Israel–Lebanon conflict}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=April 2022}}

The '''2000 Hezbollah cross-border raid''' occurred at the boundary between [[Lebanon]] and the [[Golan Heights]] (see [[Blue Line (Lebanon)|Blue Line]]) on October 7. [[Hezbollah|Hezbollah militants]] captured three [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli soldiers]] while they were patrolling the security fence, and subsequently took them into Lebanon. While the time and circumstances of the three soldiers' deaths remain unknown, their bodies were returned to [[Israel]] in a prisoner exchange on 29 January 2004.

The abduction was the first incident between [[Israeli–Lebanese conflict|Israel and Lebanon]] after the [[South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000)|Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon]]. It was followed by several other attempts by Hezbollah to abduct Israeli soldiers at the border; eventually, on 12 July 2006, the [[2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid]] saw eight Israeli soldiers killed and another two abducted and later killed in Lebanon, which triggered the [[2006 Lebanon War]].

==The attack and abduction==
[[File:Shebaa Farms.jpg|thumb|Map of the Sheeba Farms and surrounding area.]]
While patrolling the border near the [[Shebaa Farms]], an [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] patrol manned by Staff Sgt. Adi Avitan (22), Staff Sgt. Benyamin Avraham (21), and Staff Sgt. Omar Sawaid (27), was ambushed by a [[Hezbollah]] squad. The patrol car was hit by a [[Rocket-propelled grenade|rocket]]. Having entered Israeli-occupied territory in a [[Range Rover]], the Hezbollah squad blasted a gate in the fence, collected the captives and made a quick getaway.

Several factors contributed to the ease with which Hezbollah could carry out the abduction. The location of the abduction was situated between the 91st and the 36th Division. IDF bureaucracy prevented coordination and information sharing between the two. The IDF had received indications that Hezbollah was planning an abduction at the site. A patrol from the [[Egoz Reconnaissance Unit|Egoz]] elite unit belonging to the 91st Division had observed Hezbollah activity in the area, which seemed to be an ideal place for an abduction. This information had not been passed on to the 36th Division. Neither the electronic border fence nor the surveillance cameras was functioning at the relevant section but was repaired only after the incident.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2293434,00.html|title=נחטפו לפי הנהלים|publisher=Yedioth Ahronoth|author=Ronen Bergman and Gil Meltzer|date=2002-04-12|accessdate=2011-10-20}}</ref>

The bodies of the three captives were returned in a prisoner exchange in 2004. It is not known when or under what circumstances the three soldiers were killed. In October 2001 IDF stated that Israeli military intelligence estimated that "the three were either killed during the initial Hezbollah attack or immediately afterward."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFA-Archive/2001/Pages/Israelis%20Held%20by%20the%20Hizbullah%20-%20Oct%202000-Jan%202004.aspx |title=Israelis Held by the Hizbullah - Oct 2000-Jan 2004|publisher=mfa.gov.il|date=31 January 2004}}</ref>

Ya'akov Avitan, father of Adi Avitan, said that a video released by Hezbollah and broadcast by [[LBC]] indicates that, "the boys were alive when they were kidnapped... they [Hezbollah] murdered our boys in cold blood after the kidnap."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yRMYFR7yQY|title=عملية إختطاف جنود إسرائيليين (Abduction operation of Israeli soldiers)|publisher=LBC (YouTube)|date=Sep 28, 2008|accessdate=2011-10-20}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/new-film-leaves-parents-in-the-dark-on-sons-fate-during-kidnap-1.196574|title=New film leaves parents in the dark on sons' fate during kidnap|newspaper=Haaretz|author=Eli Ashkenazi, Yoav Stern and Haaretz Correspondents|date=September 5, 2006|accessdate= 2011-11-10}}</ref>

The [[Hannibal Directive]] was an IDF order stating that abductions of Israeli soldiers must be prevented by all means, including shooting at or shelling a get-away car, thereby risking the lives of the captives. When the abduction of the three soldiers became known, some say that the Hannibal directive was invoked, with Israeli attack helicopters firing at 26 cars moving in the area. The number of casualties, Hezbollah or civilian, is not known. There are however no clear indications that the captives were inside any of the attacked cars or were harmed in the attacks.<ref name= Leibovich-Dar1 >{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/the-hannibal-procedure-1.9412|title=The Hannibal Procedure|newspaper=Haaretz|author=Sara Leibovich-Dar|date= 2003-05-21|accessdate=2011-10-20}}</ref>

Hezbollah denied the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] (ICRC) and other parties permission to visit the captives and to learn at first hand about their state of health and the conditions they were held in.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wosold094845198aug09,0,7735684.story|title=Israel war touches raw nerve for grieving parents|newspaper=Newsday}}</ref>

==Prisoner exchange==
On November 9, 2003, the [[Cabinet of Israel|Government of Israel]] announced that an arrangement had been concluded regarding the return of the three missing IDF soldiers - as well as abducted Israeli businessman and reserve IDF colonel [[Elchanan Tenenbaum]], who had been captured by Hezbollah after being lured to [[Dubai]] for a drug deal.<ref>{{Cite news|script-title=ar:بين الموساد والسافاك.. من ربح حرب الجواسيس بين طهران وتل أبيب؟ |trans-title=Between Mossad and SAVAK... Who won the spy war between Tehran and Tel Aviv? |date=22 June 2018 |newspaper=Al Jazeera |url=https://www.aljazeera.net/midan/reality/politics/2018/6/22/%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9-%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416205158/https://www.aljazeera.net/midan/reality/politics/2018/6/22/%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9-%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86 |archive-date=16 April 2024 |url-status=live |last1=التحرير |first1=فريق }}</ref>

Hezbollah instigated negotiations over the release of 14 Lebanese prisoners, together with a number of Palestinian prisoners. On January 29, 2004, 30 Lebanese and Arab prisoners, 400 Palestinian prisoners, [[Germany|German]] national and Hezbollah member Steven Smyrek, and the remains of 59 Lebanese militants and civilians were transferred to Hezbollah, along with maps showing Israeli mines in South Lebanon, in exchange for Tenenbaum and the remains of the three dead soldiers.<ref name="Israel, Hezbollah swap prisoners">{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/29/prisoner.exchange/|title=Israel, Hezbollah swap prisoners| publisher=CNN|date=January 29, 2004|accessdate=April 21, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2004/The%20release%20of%20security%20prisoners%20and%20administrati|title=The release of security prisoners and administrative detainees - 29-Jan-2004|publisher=mfa.gov.il}}</ref>

Among the 435 people released by Israel were [[Mustafa Dirani]] and Sheik [[Abdel Karim Obeid]]. These two individuals were kidnapped, in 1994 and 1989 respectively, for use as bargaining chips in the effort to secure the release of the most famous of the [[Israeli MIAs]], [[Ron Arad (pilot)|Ron Arad]]. Fearing the release of these men would end any hope of finding Arad, his family attempted to take legal action to prevent their release. Nothing came of this effort.

The bodies were positively identified and arrived during the evening hours in [[Israel]]. The soldiers were returned in an [[Israeli Air Force|IAF]] aircraft along with an IDF delegation headed by Chief Military Rabbi, Brg. Gen. [[Military Rabbinate|Israel Weiss]]. Upon the arrival of the coffins, a military ceremony took place in the presence of their families and commanders. The ceremony was attended by President [[Moshe Katsav]], Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]], Minister of Defense [[Shaul Mofaz]], Knesset Speaker [[Reuven Rivlin]] and [[Chief of General Staff (Israel)|IDF Chief of Staff]], Lt. Gen. [[Moshe Ya'alon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2004/Government+statement+on+prisoner+exchange+-+24-Jan.htm|title=Government statement on prisoner exchange - 24-Jan-2004|publisher=mfa.gov.il}}</ref>

==Post abduction events==
* Hezbollah continued to [[2000-2006 Shebaa Farms conflict|attack]] IDF patrols in the [[Shebaa Farms]] area until the [[2006 Lebanon War]].
* Hezbollah's desire for Israeli prisoners that could be exchanged with Israel led to [[Zar'it-Shtula incident|Hezbollah's abduction of Israeli soldiers]], which triggered the [[2006 Lebanon War]].
* On July 16, 2008, [[Hezbollah]] [[2008 Israel–Hezbollah prisoner exchange|exchanged]] the bodies of the two Israeli soldiers captured during the [[2006 Lebanon War]], [[Ehud Goldwasser]] and [[Eldad Regev]], for  [[Samir Kuntar]], four Hezbollah militants captured by Israel during the [[2006 Lebanon War]] (Khaled Zidan, Maher Kurani, Mohammed Sarur, and Hussein Suleiman), and the bodies of 200 Lebanese and Palestinians.

==See also==
* [[Israeli–Lebanese conflict]]
* [[Iran–Israel proxy conflict]]
* [[2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict]]
* [[2005 Hezbollah cross-border raid]]
* [[2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid]]
* [[2006 Lebanon War]]
* [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 425]]
* [[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon]]
* [[Israeli prisoner exchanges]]
* [[Israeli MIAs]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Speeches%20by%20Israeli%20leaders/2004/Address%20by%20PM%20Sharon%20upon%20the%20arrival%20of%20the%20bodie|title=Address by PM Sharon upon the arrival of the bodies of the kidnapped soldiers - Jan 29- 2004|publisher=mfa.gov.il}}

{{Iran–Israel proxy conflict}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hezbollah Cross-Border Raid}}

[[Category:2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict]]
[[Category:Hezbollah–Israel conflict]]
[[Category:Israeli–Lebanese conflict]]
[[Category:Iran–Israel proxy conflict]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 2000]]
[[Category:2000 in Israel]]
[[Category:2000 in Lebanon]]
[[Category:History of the Golan Heights]]
[[Category:Hezbollah attacks]]
[[Category:Cross-border operations into Syria]]