The Israeli military has used a medieval-style trebuchet to lob incendiaries across the northern border into Lebanon.
A video that first emerged on social media on Thursday appeared to show Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers loading the wooden siege engine with flaming projectiles and launching them into Lebanese plantations.
The military responded that the use of the contraption was “a local initiative and not a tool that is widely used”, reported Israeli state broadcaster KAN News.
The ancient artillery weapon was used during the Middle Ages in sieges of castles and other fortified locations.
In this case, the device may have been used to clear dense vegetation in the border area which could help the army prevent terrorists infiltrating Israel, suggested Emanuel Fabian, the Times of Israel military correspondent, who initially posted the video.
The footage comes at a time of heightened hostilities between the IDF and the Hezbollah terrorist group, which has been intensifying its barrage of rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosive drones into northern Israel in support of Hamas throughout the Gaza war.
On Tuesday, the IDF killed Sami Taleb Abdullah, the most senior Hezbollah commander to die since the October 7 attacks.
The airstrike prompted the Lebanon-based group to launch a volley of some 250 rockets into the north of Israel, reaching as far south as the area of Tiberias.
Some 60,000 Israelis and 100,000 Lebanese residents are believed to have been displaced from both sides of the border.
Public outcry over dramatic bushfires sparked by incoming missiles in recent weeks spurred Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, last week to threaten an “extremely powerful” response and “strong action” to restore security to the north.
The US military on Wednesday urged a de-escalation in rising tensions between Israel and Lebanon. “We don’t want to see a wider regional conflict and we do want to see a de-escalation of tensions in the region,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
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