WATCH: Footage of Hezbollah convoy reportedly hit by Israeli air strike released
Hezbollah said that its six operatives were on an "inspection mission" in Quneitra when the Israeli strike occurred.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERSFootage of Hezbollah convoy reportedly hit by Israeli air strike released
A Hezbollah-affiliated television network released footage Monday of mangled vehicles damaged in Israel's reported strike in Syria Sunday that killed six Hezbollah operatives and six Iranian soldiers.According to the Lebanese Shi'ite group, which is active on the side of President Bashar Assad in the Syrian civil war, an Israeli helicopter fired two missiles Sunday at a military convoy in the Syrian town of Quneitra, not far from the Israeli border in the Golan Heights.Hezbollah said that its six operatives were on an "inspection mission" in Quneitra when the Israeli strike occurred.Israel has not confirmed that it carried out the strike, however Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would not give up its right to defend itself against all those who wish to propagate terror and other attacks against its citizens or its territory.Mewanwhile, foreign media reports said the IDF had deployed a number of Iron Dome air defense batteries to the North on Monday evening in light of a possible escalation of tensions.Among those killed in the attack were Hezbollah commander Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of slain Hezbollah military leader Imad Mughniyeh, and Mohammad Allahdadi, a general in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.Western intelligence sources said Jihad Mughniyeh headed a large-scale terrorist cell that enjoyed direct Iranian sponsorship and a direct link to Hezbollah. The cell had already targeted Israel in the past, launching attacks on the Golan Heights.Hezbollah officials vowed to avenge the attack on Monday, telling Lebanese paper A-Safir that retaliation was "inevitable," though they added that “we will not act out of emotion.”Israel's security cabinet was set to meet on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments on the northern border.UN peacekeepers stationed in the Golan Heights along the Syrian-Israeli border observed drones coming from the Israeli side before and after the air strike, the United Nations said on Monday.
The flight of the drones in the airspace over the Golan Heights was a violation of the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Syria and Israel, UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.Haq was asked if the UN observer mission deployed in the so-called area of separation in the Golan Heights, known as UNDOF, had seen anything. He said UNDOF had "observed two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying from the Alpha side and crossing the ceasefire line."The Alpha side refers to the Israeli side of the Golan. Haq said UNDOF saw the drones moving towards UN position 30, after which the UN observers lost track of them.An hour later, he said, they saw smoke coming from position 30, though they were unable to identify the source of the smoke."Subsequently, UNDOF observed UAVs flying from the general area of position 30 and over Jabbata crossing the cease-fire line," Haq said. "This incident is a violation of the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israeli and Syrian forces.""We criticize all violations," he added, noting that the UN called on all sides to refrain from actions that could exacerbate already existing tensions.Haq offered no details on whether the drones were for surveillance or could have been armed. He also did not explicitly say they were Israeli drones.