Israel unveils details of Second Lebanon War

Israel's Channel 10 disclosed for the first time, details of the operation carried out to rescue military units stranded in South Lebanon during the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, known as the Second Lebanon War, which began on July 12 and ended August 14, 2006. The report revealed the identity of the officer in charge of the operation which took place within the final moments of the war, to rescue a group of Israeli soldiers, besieged in the city of Baalbek in the heart of Lebanese territory. The operation took place after the announcement of a cease-fire. The report detailed the mechanisms of communication between the recue team and the besieged team. The team was trapped after receiving information from intelligence agencies regarding a shipment of sophisticated weapons due to arrive for Hezbollah. The team's mission was to destroy it before it reached its destination. Hezbollah was able to track the presence of the Israeli Defence Forces team. A battle ensued leading to the death of the unit commander, Emmanuel Moreno, sonsidered one of the most intelligent and powerful leaders within the IDF. The news channel also reported that after six years of studying the incident, Israel's Air Force commander finally honoured four pilots and four fighters for their efforts in rescuing the besieged unit in Lebanese territory. The Channel 10 report questioned the delay in honouring these brave persons, commenting that it should have taken place six years ago.