Israeli Strike Kills Iranian, Hezbollah Leaders
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israel is bracing for retaliation from the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, after an Israeli helicopter strike in Syria killed six people Sunday, including Hezbollah military leaders and at least one Iranian national.
Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of one of Hezbollah's top operatives, was killed in the attack, along with senior Hezbollah commander Mohammed Issa. Mughniyeh's father, Imad Mughniyeh, was assassinated in Damascus seven years ago.
At the younger Mughniyeh's funeral Monday in Beirut, thousands of Hezbollah supporters chanted "Death to Israel."
Reuters quoted a senior Iranian official who warned Israel would be hit "at the right time and right place."
Israel's military has not commented on the strike, but last week Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed his group's rockets could reach anywhere in Israel and called for an invasion of the Galilee in northern Israel.
Syrian sources told the Associated Press the Israeli attack took place near an area in Syria where forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad were training militiamen.
Israel has launched a number of airstrikes against Syria since the civil war began there in 2011, targeting Russian-made anti-aircraft missile systems and Iranian missile placements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that his nation would not allow Hezbollah to acquire sophisticated weapons systems from the Assad government.
The high profile attack on the 21-year-old Mughniyeh, called "the Prince of Hezbollah," is almost certain to invite a response. But Hezbollah's forces are more widely dispersed after years of fighting in Syria, and they may be hard-pressed to take on an expanded conflict with Israel.
