Special to WorldTribune.com
TEL AVIV — Israel, struck by a rocket attack, has elected to
strike back against a moribund Palestinian militia in Lebanon.
The Israel Air Force bombed a base of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine-General Command. Military sources said the strike on
Aug. 23 was located near Naameh between Beirut and Sidon.
“Israel will not tolerate terrorist aggression originating from Lebanese territory,” Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said.
PFLP-GC was targeted after a rocket barrage on Aug. 22 that struck deep into Israel. An Al Qaida-aligned group, Abdullah Azzam Brigades, claimed responsibility, but Israeli officials dismissed the statement.
The Israeli strike came after consultations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. Israeli sources said the two men sought targets that would not result in an escalation with Lebanon.
“The state of Israel is holding the Lebanese government accountable for
what is going on in its territory and will not sit by with every firing or
provocation,” Ya”alon said. “We will not let anyone disrupt our citizens’
lives.”
PFLP-GC has been badly hurt by the Sunni revolt in neighboring Syria.
Western diplomats said Sunni rebel strikes have decimated the combat
capability of the Syrian-sponsored Palestinian militia.
The sources said, however, that PFLP-GC works directly with
Hizbullah in Lebanon. They said the Israeli Air Force sought to destroy tunnels
believed to conceal rocket launchers that could be used by Hizbullah.
PFLP-GC acknowledged the attack and threatened retaliation. Officials
said the Israeli military was preparing for any escalation.
“The question is whether they continue,” Internal Security Minister
Yitzhak Aharonovich said. “We know we struck our targets and they know we
can raise the bar. I hope this doesn’t happen again.”
Israel retaliates against militia that fired rockets from Lebanon added by World Tribune on
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