The Shiite Muslim guerrilla group Hezbollah opened fire on Wednesday at Israeli warplanes causing a series of supersonic booms over various Lebanese regions, police said.
A Hezbollah statement said the group’s anti-aircraft batteries targeted the Israeli planes over the central and western sector of the border zone of southern Lebanon.
Israeli warplanes caused supersonic booms earlier on Wednesday over Lebanese regions from the south of the country to the north, AFP correspondents said.
The fighter bombers provoked two loud booms at around 10.55am (7.55 GMT) over the southern region of Marjayoun before flying to break the sound barrier over the nearby port city of Tyre, they said.
The jets then flew on, causing more booms over the Shebaa Farms, a border area where the Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah is leading a guerrilla war against Israeli forces occupying the territory.
The warplanes then broke the sound barrier over the eastern city of Baalbek, a main Hezbollah stronghold, before zooming up north to do the same beyond the port city of Tripoli, close to the Syrian border.
Hezbollah — backed by Lebanon, Syria and Iran — has threatened Israel with ”costly” reprisals if its air force continues its almost daily violations of Lebanese airspace despite United Nations condemnation.
Overnight on Sunday, Israeli jets staged mock air raids over Beirut in retaliation for Hezbollah fire that killed one person and wounded five others in northern Israel earlier in the day.
Hezbollah said it only fired anti-aircraft guns at Israeli warplanes overflying Lebanon, but Israel countered by saying Hezbollah had fired across the border in a deliberate attack, swiftly mounting a retaliatory strike.
That prompted Lebanon to open a diplomatic campaign to prevent Israel from carrying out threats of retaliatory air strikes. — Sapa-AFP