Lebanon condemns Israel 'aggression' targeting Hezbollah

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Lebanon condemns Israel aggression targeting Hezbollah

Beirut - The early morning incident in south Beirut came hours after Israel said it had conducted air strikes in neighbouring Syria.

By AFP

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Published: Sun 25 Aug 2019, 10:45 PM

Last updated: Mon 26 Aug 2019, 12:49 AM

Lebanon condemned an Israeli "aggression" on Sunday after two drones targeted the Beirut stronghold of Iran-backed Hezbollah, warning of further regional tensions.
Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organisation by Israel and the United States, is a major political actor in Lebanon and a key backer of the Damascus regime in war-torn Syria.
The early morning incident in south Beirut came hours after Israel said it had conducted air strikes in neighbouring Syria to prevent an Iranian force from launching an attack on the Jewish state.
A war monitor said the air raids in the southeast of Damascus killed two Hezbollah members and one Iranian among five fighters.
Hezbollah and Israel have upped their belligerent rhetoric in recent months, after fighting several wars the last of which was in 2006. Lebanon's army said "two drones belonging to the Israeli enemy violated Lebanese airspace... over the southern suburbs of Beirut", a Hezbollah stronghold in the capital. "The first fell while the second exploded in the air causing material damage," he said.
Questioned by AFP, the Israeli army declined to comment on the Lebanese claim about the drones.
Earlier a Hezbollah spokesman, Mohamed Afif, insisted his group did not shoot down either of the two drones, but said the second drone had damaged a Hezbollah media centre in a residential building.
It "was laden with explosives and exploded causing huge damage to the media centre", Afif said, adding that shards from shattered window panes had caused "minor injuries".
 


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