Israeli PM |
It is not known if the strikes hit inside Lebanese or Syrian territory but residents of Nabi Chit, on the Lebanese side of the border, said they saw flare bombs light up the sky
Israel has bombarded a Hezbollah position on the Lebanon-Syria border, according to a Lebanese security source and a Syrian NGO.
"Two Israeli raids hit a Hezbollah target on the border of Lebanon and Syria," the source said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the target was a Hezbollah "missile base" but it was not known if the strikes hit inside Lebanese or Syrian territory.
Residents of Nabi Chit, on the Lebanese side of the border, said they saw flare bombs light up the sky ahead of the raids, which shook their houses.
Residents in neighbouring areas said they heard planes flying low before the raids.
Nabi Chit is a bastion of Hezbollah, which is helping the Syrian regime battle insurgents. The Shia group has a suspected weapons store and training camp there.
But the Hezbollah television station Al-Manar said there had been "no raid on Lebanese territory", reporting only the "strong presence of enemy planes over the area north of Bekaa" in eastern Lebanon.
A Lebanese army spokesman said he had no indication of any airstrikes in the area, but that authorities were investigating the reports.
Jaafar al-Musawi, head of Nabi Chit Municipality, told Lebanon's Al-Jadeed TV there was no airstrike on the town. "We heard warplanes followed by explosions, it could be along the border with Syria," he said.
Israel did not immediately confirm or deny responsibility for the raids.
Israel has carried several airstrikes inside Syria to prevent advanced weaponry from being transferred to Hezbollah, a close ally of Damascus.
The porous border is frequently used by fighters and smugglers to move people and weapons between Lebanon and Syria.
Israel and Hezbollah fought a bloody month-long war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Israeli officials believe Hezbollah has restocked its arsenal with tens of thousands of rockets and missiles, some of which are capable of striking virtually anywhere in the Jewish state.
While Israel has tried to stay out of the war in neighbouring Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to take military action to prevent Syria from transferring sophisticated weapons to its ally Hezbollah. Over the past year, Israel has carried out several airstrikes inside Syria to halt suspected shipments of advanced missiles, including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and guided missiles from Iran, from reaching Hezbollah. Israel has never confirmed the airstrikes. www.telegraph.co.uk
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