By: Reuters in Jerusalem
Source: The Guardian
Israel‘s air force bombed a militant target in Lebanon on Friday in retaliation for a cross-border rocket salvo.
An Israeli military source said the “terror site” bombed was near Na’ameh, between Beirut and Sidon, but no further details were provided.
Four rockets fired on Thursday caused damage but no casualties in northern Israel. They were claimed by an Sunni Muslim group rather than Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia militia that holds sway in south Lebanon.
“Israel will not tolerate terrorist aggression originating from Lebanese territory,” military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said in announcing Friday’s air strike.
A Palestinian militant group in Lebanon confirmed one of its bases south of Beirut was hit by the Israeli bombardment but there were no injuries or significant damage.
Lebanon’s al-Manar television quoted a spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command as saying the group’s base in Na’ameh was attacked. The spokesman said the PFLP-GC was surprised it was targeted because the earlier rocket fire was claimed by a separate group.
Israel and Lebanon are technically at war. Israel briefly invaded Lebanon during an inconclusive 2006 conflict with Hezbollah. The Israelis are reluctant to open a new Lebanese front, however, given spiraling regional instability.
