Israel launches retortion attack over Hezbollah targets

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom had warned before the Sunday attack that any casualties in one of Hezbollah’s border attacks would trigger a tough response. "If our citizens are hit we will have to defend them, and Syria and Lebanon would be well advised not to put us to the challenge," he told public radio.

Israeli military sources said helicopters carried out the raid and destroyed the gun used by fighters of the radical Islamic militia to fire the deadly shells.

The fundamentalist group, which controls southern Lebanon, had fired rockets and mortar bombs on the disputed border area of the Shebaa Farms, causing no casualties but prompting a swift military response by Israel.