5 PFLP fighters killed in Lebanon blast, terror tunnels damaged; Israel denies connection May 31, 2023IDF troops operate along Israel’s border during Operation Northern Shield. (IDF)(IDF)5 PFLP fighters killed in Lebanon blast, terror tunnels damaged; Israel denies connection Tweet WhatsApp Email https://worldisraelnews.com/5-pflp-fighters-killed-in-lebanon-blast-terror-tunnels-damaged-israel-denies-connection/ Email Print There were conflicting reports from Lebanese and Palestinian sources regarding the cause of the deadly explosion.By World Israel News StaffIsrael has denied reports that its air force had carried out an airstrike overnight at the Lebanon-Syria that killed five members of the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and damaged the group’s terror tunnels.“The attack took place around 1:30 a.m. in an area that serves as an entry point to a complex network of tunnels used by the PFLP General Command, connecting Syria and Lebanon,” Al-Jazeera reported.“There were conflicting reports from Lebanese and Palestinian sources that the blast was a result of an old rocket going off in an arms depot or mines exploding while they were being moved,” the report said. In an official statement, PFLP headquarters claimed that “in order to improve its public image and deterrence, the Zionist enemy attacked a military outpost in Qousaya, and as a result, five of our men were killed.” PFLP identified the casualties as Commander Emad Kadour, Commander Khaled al-Hamesh, Shadi al-Boush, Wasim Khalil and Muhammad Nimr.Lebanon-based PFLP official Abu Wael Issam vowed retaliation against Israel “at the right time.” The incident, he said, would not discourage his group from “escalating the fight against the Zionist enemy.”Read Hezbollah rocket hits Israeli Arab city, killing womanAccording to blogger Abu Ali Express, “the Popular Front General Command has a strong relationship with Hezbollah and the Assad regime.“In addition to the five casualties, seven others were injured in the attack, which resulted in a deep hole in one of the entrances to the tunnel network. “Israel targeted the site previously in 2019.”That year, Israel discovered six terror tunnels, which the IDF destroyed in what was dubbed Operation Northern Shield.Hezbollah has not commented on the explosion.Israeli officials have insisted there was no IDF attack on the Syrian-Lebanese border targeting the terrorist organization. HezbollahIAF airstrikeLebanonOperation Northern ShieldPFLPPopular Front for the Liberation of PalestineSyriaterror tunnels
