An Israel Defense Forces helicopter crashed Saturday evening on Lebanese territory. IDF officials estimated that a missile fired by Hizbullah terrorists at the helicopter, apparently an anti-tank missile, caused it to crash. The chopper managed to drop the fighters, took off, and was then hit. There were reports of injuries. Official sources in Lebanon claimed that Hizbullah brought down the helicopter. Hizbullah claimed that its people shot down the helicopter with a Waad missile.?

Irsael Air Force Commander Eliezer Shkedy noted on Saturday evening that he appreciates the courage and decisiveness of the fighters operating in Lebanon, both on the ground and on the air, and instructed the Air Force to continue to operate in all the missions while supporting and helping the forces operating in Lebanon as much as required.

A senior Air Force officer referred to the incident: “The helicopter was hit by a missile fired at it, hit the ground and caught fire. Helicopters are fired at a lot in all regions. The operations we are doing are dangerous, but there are also successes.”

“The place where the incident occurred is under our control. But in spite of the incident, we are continuing with our operations as usual, providing forces and rescuing the injured,” he said.

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