Page 9 - atoday
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Tuesday 5 January 2016
Hezbollah attacks Israeli troops on Lebanon border
BRIAN ROHAN sponded with targeted in porous Syrian airspace, Later Monday, Lebanese area where the Hezbollah
Associated Press both sides seem too occu- security officials said that operation was carried out.
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese artillery fire. It did not say pied elsewhere to opt for a more than 50 Israeli shells Residents along the bor-
militant group Hezbollah new war in Lebanon. hit several villages in the der said shelling from Israeli
struck an Israeli armored whether there were any tanks and artillery landed
patrol with a roadside in agricultural areas inside
bomb at the border on casualties. Lebanon, but did not re-
Monday and Israel re- port casualties.
sponded by shelling the Hezbollah’s television The officials said the patrol
area, with no immediate was hit near an Israeli army
word on casualties. channel Al-Manar said position in the Kfar Chouba
Hezbollah said the attack hills, which Beirut says is
was carried out by a unit one of the vehicles tar- Lebanese land occupied
named for Samir Kantar, by Israel. The residents re-
a prominent Lebanese geted was carrying “a se- quested anonymity, saying
militant killed in Syria last they feared for their safety,
month. Hezbollah had nior officer.”Tensions on while the officials did so in
blamed Israel and vowed line with regulations.
to avenge his death, sug- the border have been high The United Nations force
gesting a possible motiva- in Lebanon known as UNI-
tion for Monday’s attack. since Kantar, who carried FIL said in a statement that
Hezbollah said it set off a it has further reinforced its
large explosive device as out a notorious attack in presence on the ground
the vehicles passed in the and intensified patrols in
disputed Chebaa Farms Israel and spent nearly 30 coordination with the Leb-
area, destroying a Hum- anese army. q
vee and causing casualties years in an Israeli jail, was
among the soldiers inside.
The Israeli army said ve- killed in Syria by an airstrike
hicles in the area were hit
with an improvised explo- late last month.
sive device and that it re-
Border skirmishes between
Israel and Hezbollah have
quickly escalated into all-
out war in the past, with
one cross-border raid by Palestinians stand inside a house that was demolished by the
Israeli military in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal
the group in 2006 touch- Mukaber, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. The Israeli military says forces
are demolishing and sealing off the Jerusalem homes of two
ing off a monthlong Israeli Palestinians involved in deadly attacks against Israelis in the
city last year. Both attackers were shot and killed at the scene.
offensive that included a
(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
ground invasion and air-
strikes that reached across
all of Lebanon.
But with Hezbollah currently
engaged in the Syrian civil
war on the side of President
Bashar Assad, and Israel
free to target the group
IS attacks troops in Iraq, killing 11
SINAN SALAHEDDIN IS out of central Ramadi,
Associated Press capital of the sprawling
BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic Anbar province, which also
State militants attacked includes Haditha.
Iraqi troops and allied tribal Pockets of IS fighters re-
fighters outside the western main to the east and
town of Haditha on Mon- north of the city and have
day, killing at least 11 and launched daily counterat-
wounding dozens, officials tacks against Iraqi military
said. positions, mostly using sui-
Haditha councilman Kha- cide car bombs.
lid Suleiman said 30 troops Col. Steve Warren, the
were wounded in the at- Baghdad-based spokes-
tacks, which included a man for the U.S.-led co-
suicide car bombing and alition, said most attacks
roadside bombs. were repelled with a com-
A medical official in Ha- bination of air support and
ditha confirmed the casu- the heavier weaponry Iraqi
alty figures on condition of forces are now equipped
anonymity as he was not with.
authorized to release infor- “ISIL’s standard tactic now
mation. is to go in with car bombs
The attack comes a week or truck bombs supported
after Iraqi troops backed by infantry,” Warren said,
by U.S.-led airstrikes and using an alternative acro-
Sunni tribesmen pushed nym for the group. q
