BEIRUT, Sept 22: Israel has dealt serious blows to Hezbollah this week by targeting its communications and decimating the leadership of its elite unit, but without crushing the Lebanese group's ability to fight, observers say.
On Friday, an Israeli strike on Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs targeted a meeting of the Lebanese movement's Radwan Force, killing 16 members of the elite unit, according to a source close to the group.
The strike followed sabotage attacks on pagers and two-way radios used by Hezbollah on Tuesday and Wednesday, which killed at least 39 people and wounded almost 3,000, according to Lebanese authorities. Hezbollah has blamed its arch-enemy Israel, which has not commented.
The attacks mark an unprecedented escalation in almost a year of cross-border violence between Israel and Hezbollah. —AFP
