Israeli soldiers fling a fireball into Lebanon with an unusual weapon not seen in action since the 16th century.
A rotating arm with a sling attached to launch a projectile called a trebuchet has infrequently been utilized since the 16th century. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared that the catapult is a "local initiative" and has not "spread widely" according to a report from Israeli public broadcaster and CNN affiliate Kan on Thursday. The trebuchet may have been employed to burn shrubbery, making it simpler for Israeli forces to spot militants attempting to approach the boundary. CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
A video of the device in operation was shared on social media on Wednesday. CNN could not ascertain when the footage was recorded; however, it was geolocated to the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Although there have been reports of catapults being used by Ukrainian demonstrators during the 2014 Euromaidan protests and by Syrian insurgents in 2013, the weapon is a relic of long-gone military times.
One of the last known instances of large-scale trebuchets being used in combat was by the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes against the Aztecs in the conquest of Tenochtitlan, Mexico in 1521, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
The usage of catapults and other trebuchets started to decrease following the invention of modern gunpowder artillery in the 15th century.
The video arrived following cross-border attacks from Lebanon which provoked big fires scorching the northern portion of Israel last week, engulfing vast swathes of land and prompting the evacuation of residents.
Cross-border attacks surged this month; nonetheless, there has been limited-scale conflict since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, when militants killed over 1,200 individuals and kidnapped about 200 others, per Israeli authorities. This resulted in Israel engaging in war with Hamas in Gaza, where it destroyed much of the Strip and killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian authorities.
Hezbollah claimed that its present war with Israel is to assist the Palestinians in Gaza. The military power of Hezbollah is thought to be significantly more than that of Hamas, and it has increased since 2006. At that time, the organization depended mainly on inaccurate Soviet-era Katyusha rockets.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah stated that his group has over 100,000 fighters and reservists. It's also thought to possess 150,000 rockets, which could overwhelm Israel's defenses if a full-scale war were to break out.
Moreover, 53,000 Israelis have been relocated from the north since the hostilities began in October, the IDF informed CNN. In Lebanon, over 94,000 individuals have been displaced from the border region, according to the country's health ministry.
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The Middle East has witnessed a resurgence of unconventional military tactics, as evidenced by the IDF's use of a trebuchet. The situation in the Middle East continues to have significant implications for the world at large.
