Israel bombs Hizbollah target on Syria border, say sources

BEIRUT // Israel, bent on halting any transfer of weapons to Lebanon’s Hizbollah, has bombarded a position of the powerful Shiite group on the Lebanese-Syrian border, sources say.

Hizbollah is an archenemy of Israel and has sent thousands of fighters across the border to aid Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime as it battles Sunni-led rebels.

“Two Israeli raids hit a Hizbollah target on the border of Lebanon and Syria” on Monday night, a Lebanese security source said.

Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed the report, adding that the raids struck the countryside of the Lebanese border town of Nabi Sheet.

Residents said the raid took place inside Lebanon, and a Lebanese military source said this was “most likely” the case.

Lebanon’s army did not confirm there had been any strikes, but it reported violations of the country’s airspace by Israel.

Syria has long provided arms and other aid to Hizbollah and served as a key conduit of Iranian military aid to the movement, which battled Israel to a stalemate in a brief 2006 war.

Nabi Sheet is a bastion of Hizbollah, and the group has a suspected weapons store and training camp there.

Residents said they saw flares light up the sky ahead of the raids, which shook their houses.

They said they heard planes flying low and that the target appeared to be a Hizbollah position in the mountains near the town.

There was no official comment on the raids from Hizbollah, the Lebanese government or Syria.

“The raids most likely took place on Lebanese territory, but we cannot be completely sure because the borders in that area are not well defined,” an army source said.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asked about the raid on Tuesday, responded cryptically.

“We are doing everything that is necessary to defend the security of Israel,” he said.

“We will not say what we’re doing or what we’re not doing.”

Top-selling Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot ran a front-page headline: “Foreign reports: Israeli strike in Lebanon,” while referring to strikes Israel implicitly admitted carrying out against Hizbollah in Syria last year.

Other media pointed to weekend remarks by Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, who warned against arms transfers from Syria to Hizbollah in Lebanon.

“We are monitoring closely the transfer of all types of weapons to all fronts,” Lt Gen Gantz was quoted as saying.

“Sometimes, in case of necessity, something can happen.”

Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper, which is close to Hizbollah, said the raids took place inside Syria, saying “the nature of the target was unclear.”

Hizbollah enjoyed widespread support during the 2006 conflict with Israel, but its popularity has diminished in recent years and its decision to participate in the Syrian conflict is controversial.

Agence France-Presse