Lebanon explosion | An explosion at a Palestinian base in Lebanon kills five

2023-05-31 16:58:37

Five militants of a pro-syrian palestinian group have been killed in an explosion at a Lebanese base near the border with Syria this Wednesday. But the versions about what happened differ. According to the Lebanese security forces, it would be a accidental deflagration. Instead, the spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Commandl (FPLP-CG) has accused a Israel to carry out “night attacks” on the Qousaya base, while the Israeli army has denied any involvement.

“And old rocket exploded in an arms depot on the base and five fighters were killed,” said a security source, who requested anonymity as she was not authorized to speak to the media. The tragedy occurred in the village of Kousaya, bordering the Syrian border. For its part, the Lebanese Army has not officially ruled on the incident. The PFLP-GC is a Damascus-based group that has strong ties to the Syrian government and its Lebanese ally, the Shiite militia hezbollah. His relations with both actors translate into the presence of bases of the group in the Lebanese Beca Valleybefore arriving in Syria.

The militia insists on Israel’s involvement. “Five fighters have been killed,” spokesman Anwar Raja told France Presse after denouncing the “night attacks“ of the Hebrew state. “At the moment we do not have more detailed information on the operation,” he added. The group officer Abu Wael Issambased in Lebanon, has announced to the Associated Press that they will reply “at the right time”. The attack will not deter his group from “intensifying the fight against the Israeli enemy”, he has declared. For her part, a spokeswoman for the Israeli military power stressed to AFP that “this is not an activity of the Israeli Defense Forces [el Ejército israelí]”.

aircraft hijacking

They are not so common Israeli air strikes on the Lebanon. In August 2019, suspected Israeli shelling targeted the PFLP-GC in Qousaya. Four years earlier, a Lebanese security official claimed that an explosion at a group base in the same area injured seven people, while the Palestinian group blamed an Israeli attack. The FPLG-GC is deployed throughout the border between lebanon and syriain addition to the military presence in both countries.

The militant group became known decades ago for its impressive attacks against Israel, such as the hijacking of an Israeli El Al airliner in 1968 and the strafing of another plane at the Zurich airport in 1969. A year later, a Swissair plane was bombed on a flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv. killing all 47 passengers on board. Furthermore, during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1985, captured three Israeli soldiers. Thanks to their negotiation, they obtained the release of more than 1,100 prisonersmostly Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians.