Israeli Copters Raid Hezbollah Facility in Southern Lebanon

Israel sent helicopters on a raid Sunday to bomb a building in southern Lebanon that it said was a headquarters for attacks on Israeli troops by the Shia Muslim group Hezbollah (Party of God), the military said.

A statement issued by the Israel Defense Forces said all pilots and aircraft returned safely to their bases, reporting “good hits and explosions on the targets” northwest of the town of Tibnin.

Tibnin is about four miles north of an Israeli-controlled buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

A military statement said the building hit in the attack Sunday “served as a headquarters for terrorist organizations which collaborated with the radical Hezbollah in terrorist attacks against Israel Defense Forces.” It said the South Lebanon Army allied to Israel had also come under attack from the groups.

Israel’s self-declared “security zone” runs three to nine miles north of the Israeli border. It was established in June, 1985, as a barrier to cross-border strikes after most of Israel’s troops withdrew from Lebanon.

The zone is patrolled by about 1,000 Israeli soldiers and 2,000 soldiers of Israel’s surrogate militia, the South Lebanon Army.

Hezbollah is believed to be backed by Iran and is one of the most powerful militias operating in Lebanon.

Rockets Hit Israel

The attack came hours after a Soviet-designed Katyusha rocket landed in Israel and others fell in Israel’s security zone.

Military censors apparently delayed publication of the Katyusha attacks, which caused no damage or injuries, until the raid on Lebanon was over.

The raid Sunday was the 20th reported Israeli air attack in Lebanon this year. The last raid was on July 3, when six Israeli warplanes struck positions in the Syrian-controlled Bekaa Valley.