Israeli Airstrike Aimed At Militants Foils ‘Terrorist’ Attack
Israel says that they have conducted an airstrike on their border with Syria against a group which approached with explosives late on Sunday, the New York Times reported. No Israelis were injured during the airstrike.
A spokesperson for the military in Israel said on Monday that four people were killed in the airstrike, the Wall Street Journal reported. The identities of those killed have not been released.
The Israeli military said about the bombing, “A group of armed terrorists approached the border with an explosive device, which was intended to be detonated against IDF forces.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement about the airstrike.
“Any attempt to harm our soldiers or civilians will be met with a determined response like the IDF operation from tonight, which thwarted an attempted attack.”
Netanyahu went on, saying about the Israeli troops, “I wish to praise the alertness of our soldiers, who acted quickly and precisely.”
The airstrike “neutralized” those involved after “terrorists armed with explosives” were seen at the border, according to the Israeli military. The Israel-Syria border has been the site of many attacks recently, as the Inquisitr reporter.
It had not been clear if the alleged terrorists were Syrians or if they were members of Hezbollah. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the airstrike killed four Syrian soldiers. There have been growing fears among Israeli officials that Hezbollah have been ramping up attacks against Israel from Lebanon.
Former Israeli military colonel Kobi Marom said about Israel’s response to Hezbollah, “We can’t allow Hezbollah to create new rules of the game, that after every reported Israeli attack they will respond… We need to respond to regain effective deterrence along the Golan Heights and the Lebanese border.”
In a speech on Sunday, Israel’s defense minister repeated the Israeli government’s commitment to preventing Hezbollah from gaining more weaponry.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said about Syria and Iran arming Hezbollah, “We will not allow the transfer of quality weapons to terror groups led by Hezbollah and we know how to reach them and those that dispatch them at any time.”
Yaalon continued, “Iran continues to try to arm Hezbollah, even now, and aspires to equip the Lebanese terrorist organization with advanced and accurate weaponry.”
Yaalon continued on about Hezbollah going up against Israel.
“We know how to reach [Hezbollah] and those who direct it, at any time and in any place… We will not allow Hezbollah to establish a terror infrastructure on our borders with Syria, and we have the ability to reach anyone who threatens Israeli citizens along our borders or even far from them.”
[Photo: Flickr]
