Ansariya ambush
| Ansariya ambush | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Israel Defence Forces |
Hezbollah Supported by: Amal Movement | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lt. Col. Yosef Korakin † |
Com. Abu Shamran Ahmed Wehbe | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 16 commandos from Naval Special Operations unit, Shayetet 13 | 20 fighters from local Hezbollah militia and back-up units from Amal militia and Lebanese army | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 12 IDF soldiers killed | 2 fighters lightly wounded | ||||||
| A Lebanese woman and a young girl killed | |||||||
The Ansariya ambush took place during the conflict between the Israel Defense Forces occupying South Lebanon and the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, the armed wing of the Hezbollah movement. A 16-man force from the Israeli Navy’s special operation unit, Shayetet 13, on a mission in South Lebanon in 1997, stumbled into a deadly ambush by Hezbollah. Twelve Israeli soldiers were killed, which was the worst Israeli single-day casualty toll in Lebanon since 1985.