Malbatt team told to retreat after post damaged by Israeli air strike

2026-03-13 - 14:44

Defence minister Khaled Nordin said one of the strikes caused damage to the control post’s facilities and barracks, but no one was injured and the weapons and equipment were not affected. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) 850-13 team in south Lebanon was ordered to retreat after their control post was damaged in an Israeli air strike early today. Defence minister Khaled Nordin said the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) struck an area 100m to 200m away from the Malbatt peacekeeping team’s control post at about 2.35am Lebanon time. The IDF is believed to have targeted a bridge over the Litani river. “Another strike was reported at 3.02am, causing damage to the control post’s facilities and barracks. “One officer and eight personnel from Malbatt 850-13 were at the control post and were ordered by the Malbatt tactical operations centre to retreat as a safety measure. “The team and 12 Lebanon armed forces personnel relocated to a safer location at 4.12am,” Khaled said in a statement. He said none of the personnel were harmed and all their weapons and equipment were not affected by the Israeli air strike. “The ministry will continue monitoring the situation through the joint forces headquarters, while working with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) and other peacekeeping teams to ensure the safety of the Malaysian personnel,” he said. AFP reported that Israel expanded its strikes on Lebanon today, with the bridge targeted said to have been used as a passageway for Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah also launched fresh attacks on Israeli forces as the conflict in the Middle East, which sparked from a US-Israel strike on Iran, entered its 14th day.