The Hezbollah terrorist who carried out the bombing attack at Megiddo junction in the North last week crossed the border into Israel by using a ladder, defense establishment sources said Tuesday.
Despite the report, the IDF Spokesman’s Office declined to confirm the ladder theory. The IDF issued an update on the status of its probe into the issue on Monday night and did not mention anything about a ladder, it said, adding that its probe had concluded that the border was not penetrated using an attack tunnel.
Around four years ago, Israel undertook a special operation to eliminate all remaining Hezbollah attack tunnels.
After the terrorist succeeded in setting off an explosive device at Megiddo junction last week, however, speculation was rife that Hezbollah may have snuck a new cross-border attack tunnel past the IDF.
The IDF statement did not give a definitive account of how the terrorist penetrated Israel’s border and said the incident was still being probed.
One difficulty in uncovering the techniques of the terrorist is that he was shot and killed by security forces. Only his driver, who may not know all of the operation’s details, was captured.
The IDF has acknowledged that despite heavy security on the border with Lebanon, the border is vulnerable.
There have been a number of incidents of small and short-lived penetrations over the years, especially by migrant workers or mentally ill persons.
Last week’s incident was unique in that Hezbollah was involved, and the terrorist succeeded in penetrating deep into Israel’s interior for an extensive period of time.
In spite of the IDF’s refusal to address the ladder issue, the terrorist had chosen a hidden route to cross the border, in a location that requires continuous and accurate intelligence gathering, and parts of the ladder were later found in his bag, Walla reported.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.