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Israel reportedly strikes Palestinian terror base in Lebanon

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that the drone strikes amount to a “declaration of war.”

An Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet flies during an air show at the Hatzerim Air Base in the Negev Desert, Dec. 29, 2016. Credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90.
An Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet flies during an air show at the Hatzerim Air Base in the Negev Desert, Dec. 29, 2016. Credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90.

Israel carried out a strike on a base in Lebanon belonging to Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), reported Arabic media early Monday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces has yet to comment.

The apparent strike occurred shortly after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah pledged to shoot down any Israeli aircraft in Lebanese airspace.

“Hezbollah will not allow such an aggression,” he said on Sunday.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the drone strikes amount to a “declaration of war,” reported Reuters. Additionally, Aoun met with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis to discuss the situation.

The PFLP-GC is a Palestinian terror group based in Syria. It was founded in 1968 after splitting from the more well-known terror group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The PFLP-GC was involved in a number of high-profile terror attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians in the 1970s and ’80s, including the Avivim school bus massacre, the bombing of Swissair Flight 330, the Kiryat Shmona massacre and the Night of the Gliders. While the group has largely been inactive in recent decades, it has been involved in the Syrian Civil War.

The reported hit in Lebanon happened just hours after Israel carried out an airstrike overnight Saturday against Iranian forces and Shi’ite militias in Syria that were planning to attack the Jewish state with explosives-laden drones.

“This man has appeared 22 times in court with so many excuses. He is completely unrepentant,” a court watcher who was present at the trial told JNS.
A congressman on the House Armed Services Committee confirmed the proposal to JNS.
The independent executive branch agency told JNS that the behavior is “not acceptable” and the incident is being “fully investigated.”
“It can’t just be business as usual,” Evan R. Bernstein told JNS. “We’re not done yet.”