Beirut, Jan 6 (EFE).- The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah announced on Saturday that five of its militants were killed in Israeli attacks, including artillery shells containing white phosphorus, on a particularly violent day as the movement began the first phase of its response to the assassination of Hamas’s number two, Saleh al-Arouri, in Beirut.<\/p>
In a statement identifying the five “martyrs,” Hezbollah said Israel had carried out continuous attacks on southern Lebanon, mainly on houses and land, through air strikes and artillery shells, including artillery shells containing white phosphorus.<\/p>
The Lebanese Shiite group claimed at least five attacks, including on a concentration of Israeli army infantry in the immediate surroundings of the Honen barracks.<\/p>
In addition to the 62 shells fired this morning at a major intelligence center in northern Israel, there have been five more attacks. These constitute their first response to al-Arouri’s assassination this week.<\/p>
The Israeli army said in a statement that it had responded to the actions from Lebanon by targeting two Hezbollah military compounds that housed essential assets of the terrorist organization in the southern Mediterranean country.<\/p>
The source said none of the attacks from Lebanon caused casualties among their ranks.<\/p>
Lebanese and Israeli forces have been engaged in intense crossfire across the border between the two countries since Oct 8, while this week’s attack in the suburbs of Beirut has heightened fears of further escalation.<\/p>
This violence comes during a visit by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who held high-level talks with Lebanese authorities on Saturday as part of diplomatic efforts to avert war in the country. EFE<\/p>
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