Syrian media claims Israeli air strikes hit Hezbollah bases
The IDF warned that explosions would be heard in the North, but said they are routine and not related to a security incident.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: DECEMBER 28, 2015 01:07IAF fighter jet during the Red Flag joint exercise at Nellis air force base in Nevada (photo credit: COURTESY IDF SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE)
Syrian media claimed the Israel Air Force targeted at least seven Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s Qalamoun region late on Saturday.Hezbollah denied there were any explosions at its bases, according to a report by Channel 2.The IDF has not commented on the situation, but earlier in the evening released a statement saying that “in the next few hours, explosions will be heard in the Upper Galilee. The explosions are routine, were planned ahead of time and are not connected to a security incident.”The report came almost a week after terrorist Samir Kuntar was killed in an air strike in Syria, which was also linked to Israel, though not confirmed.On December 20, the top Hezbollah commander was killed when a number of rockets hit a building in the Damascus district of Jaramana. The country’s government loyalist claimed the strikes were also Israeli.In a speech Monday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened Israel with revenge over Kuntar’s killing.Kuntar was responsible for murdering the Haran family in 1979 as part of a PLO operation, and later joined Hezbollah following his release from Israeli prison in 2008.In a statement Saturday, the United States and its allies said they conducted 17 air strikes on Christmas Day against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.In Syria, coalition military forces conducted five air strikes using attack and remotely piloted aircraft, targeting Islamic State terrorists near Ar Raqqah, Manbij and Mar’a.