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Proving yet again that it is the modern-day, heavily armed equivalent of a Wild West criminal gang, Israel has now expanded its activities from occupation and illegal settlement, into cattle rustling.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces snatched hundreds of goats from a south Lebanon border village after failing to kidnap a goat herder, according to the National News Agency.

Israeli soldiers first tried to kidnap the Lebanese shepherd named as Mohammad Qassem Hashem near the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms.

When Hashem slipped from their hands, the soldiers stole more than 400 goats he owned, in an apparent act of revenge.

The Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers are attempting to retrieve them, according to the state-owned news agency.

Israeli soldiers attempt to abduct Lebanese shepherds for a variery of reasons, including forcing them to provide information on Lebanese army and Hizballah positions.

Israeli soldiers routinely attempt to abduct Lebanese shepherds for a variery of reasons, including to recruit them as spies to provide information on Lebanese army and Hizballah positions.

Israeli soldiers are also known to  from the border area, possibly meaning to intimidate locals hostile to Israel.

Often, animals in the area also  from unexploded Israeli cluster bombs.

Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978, 1982 and 2006, and waged several major wars on its nothern neighbour to put down Palestinian and Lebanese resistance operations.

In 2000, Israel ended its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon following a guerilla campaign led by Lebanese resistance groups, but continues to occupy a number of villages and farms.