Hezbollah top officials hitted by alleged Israel airstrike

Several senior Hezbollah officials have been hit by an alleged Israeli airstrike on Syria, Newsweek cited a Department of Defence source as saying on Wednesday.

The source claimed that the airstrike was conducted minutes after the Hezbollah leaders boarded a plane bound for Iran. The strike also reportedly targeted strategic Iranian munitions, including advanced GPS components for weaponry.

The developments came after Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported that the Israeli Air Force had launched a missile attack on Damascus’ surroundings from Lebanese airspace and that most of the missiles were downed.

The attack, which lasted for at least 1.5 hours, left three servicemen wounded and caused damage to an ammunition depot, according to SANA. The Israeli military did not confirm that any air raids had taken place.

The Jewish state regularly conducts airstrikes on Syrian territory, claiming that it targets Iranian military depots and arms supplies destined for the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah.

Tehran has repeatedly denied the accusations, insisting that only military advisers, invited by Damascus, are present in Syria. Iran has also denied supplying armaments to Hezbollah’s military wing and has strongly condemned the Israeli airstrikes against the Arab Republic.

On 4 December, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that they had launched Operation Northern Shield aimed at neutralizing cross-border tunnels dug by Hezbollah, allegedly used for covertly transporting militants to Israel.

The Jewish state traditionally views Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon and Syria as a threat to its national security, as the movement is backed by Iran, which is Israel’s main rival in the region.

Source: Sputnik