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War on Terror

Courage under fire


By Ryan Jones
November 22, 2005

Israeli Paratrooper David Markovitch, 20, kept his cool Monday when a select team of Hizb'allah terrorists roared over the northern border on all-terrain vehicles and motorbikes, almost single-handedly thwarting the planned abduction of IDF soldiers.

In the most serious attack in five years, Hizb'allah launched a multi-pronged assault along Israel's northern border lasting from the late afternoon into the late evening hours.

Successive waves of Katyusha rocket and mortar shell fire at both military and civilian targets were believed to be cover for an attempt to kidnap one or more Israelis.

The point of attack was the village of Rajar, which is bisected by the border fence and offers a fairly concealed point of infiltration for the Lebanese terrorists.

While Israeli intelligence had been warning for days about the imminence of a Hizb?allah kidnapping attempt, the brazen nature of the attempt appeared to take many in the country by surprise.

But not Markovitch.

In what his commander described as an amazing display of courage, discipline and composure, the soldier managed to shoot and kill four of the intruders, sending the others retreating back into Lebanon.

?That is exactly how I expect a paratrooper to act,? Lieutenant-Colonel Yaniv Alouf told Ynet. ?Well done.?

Alouf said he tried to call Markovitch all through the night, but young hero's line was constantly busy.

?I just wanted to tell him how proud I am of him,? the commander said.

Three young IDF soldiers were abducted by Hizb'allah in late 2000, sparking years of national concern, debate and division over what should be done to retrieve them. They were eventually declared deceased by the army's rabbinical authorities.

For saving Israel from having to again go through that anguish, one reader of the original Ynet report responded with the simple words, ?Hero of Israel, thank you.?

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