Beirut, Jan 6 (EFE).- The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah said it hit an Israeli air surveillance base on Saturday, marking its first response to the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, the second-in-command of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
At 8:10 a.m. local time (6:10 GMT), Hezbollah fighters fired 62 missiles “of various types” at the Meron Air Surveillance Base.
The base lies at the top of Mount Jarmaq “in the north of occupied Palestine,” the militant group said, adding that it is considered the only center for management, surveillance, and air control in the region.
“There is no important alternative to the Meron Base,” Hezbollah said, adding that the Jewish state has only one similar base in the south.
The attack is a direct response to an alleged Israeli-borne bombing on Tuesday, which killed al-Arouri and six others in a southern suburb of Beirut.
The area represents a crucial stronghold for the Shiite movement and has remained untouched since the 2006 war with Israel.
On Friday, Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah said the murder of his “brother and friend” from Hamas “will certainly not go without reaction and punishment,” warning of retaliation for the bombing that Israel has not officially claimed.
“We will not remain silent about a violation of this level because that would mean that all of Lebanon would be exposed. All cities, towns, and figures would be exposed,” the Shiite cleric said.
The Lebanese militant group and Israeli forces have been engaged in intense crossfire across the border between the two countries since October 8.
The recent attack in the suburb of Beirut has escalated concerns about further hostilities. EFE
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