BEIRUT, Lebanon - An Israeli strike on Syria killed an Iranian
general, Tehran confirmed on Monday, as thousands of supporters of
Lebanon’s Hezbollah gathered to bury one of six fighters killed in the
same raid.
The attack on Sunday near Quneitra on the
Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights enraged Hezbollah’s
supporters, but analysts said the group would avoid a major escalation
with Israel.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of one of their generals in a statement on their website.
“General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi and a number of fighters and Islamic
Resistance (Hezbollah) forces were attacked by the Zionist regime’s
helicopters,” it said.
“This brave general and some
members of Hezbollah were martyred.
“A source close to Hezbollah said
six Iranians had been killed in the attack," Hezbollah said that it was
not the source of that toll.
Among Hezbollah’s dead was
Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of an assassinated commander from the group,
and Mohammed Issa, a commander responsible for Hezbollah’s operations in
Syria and Iraq.
Once solely focused on fighting Israel,
Hezbollah is now deeply involved in the war in neighbouring Syria, where
it backs President Bashar al-Assad.
With its forces
spread thin, and little appetite in fragile Lebanon for a new conflict
with Israel, analysts said Hezbollah would seek to respond to the raid
without provoking a full-on war.
Resistance will decide
response: On Monday afternoon, thousands of mourners gathered in
Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold for Mughniyeh’s funeral.
“God willing, the resistance will retaliate but the leadership of the
resistance will be the one to decide the nature and timing,” said
Hassana Sadaqa, as she prepared to pay her respects.
Mourners
chanted “Our party is Hezbollah, our leader is Nasrallah” as the
coffin was carried through the streets and shots were fired into the
air.
Mughniyeh was buried in the same cemetery as his
father Imad, who was killed in a 2008 car bombing that Hezbollah blamed
on Israel.
Source:Down.com
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