Israeli Warplanes Attack Palestinian Base in Lebanon
Israeli warplanes blasted a Palestinian guerrilla base before dawn Friday near this southern port city in the fourth Israeli attack on bases in Lebanon in eight days.
Witnesses said the planes drew heavy fire from the guerrillas while they fired rockets at the base and released balloons to deflect ground-to-air missiles.
There was no immediate word on casualties.
In Jerusalem, the Israeli army said the jets returned to base safely.
It said the base was used by a terrorist organization to launch attacks on Israel. It did not identify the group.
A police spokesman said the raid targeted a base manned by guerrillas of George Habash’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in hills east of Sidon.
The spokesman said at least three Israeli jet fighters carried out the five-minute attack.
The jets fired six air-to-surface missiles against the base, he said.
At dawn, around three hours after the air attack, smoke still billowed from the stricken target.
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