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Mortars hit Israeli military position in Golan Heights

Xinhua, January 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

Mortar shells were fired from Lebanon and hit an Israeli military position in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights on Wednesday, amid violent escalation at the Israeli-Lebanon border.

A military notice said the mortars hit an army post in Mount Hermon. The military closed a nearby sky resort and evacuated civilians from the area, the notice added.

It was later added that one of the mortars struck a house in the Arab Druze village of Ragar, setting it on fire.

The incident came shortly after Hezbollah anti-tanks missiles struck a military vehicle near Israel's northern border, causing an unconfirmed number of casualties and injuries.

The attack sparked a heavy Israeli artillery fire into southern Lebanon. Local media reported that the fire has wounded a UNFIL soldier from Spain.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has summoned an emergency meeting with the senior command in Tel Aviv, to discuss the latest events and a possible larger Israeli response.

Military spokesperson Motti Almoz told Channel 2 TV news that the "Israel Defense Force's (IDF) response to the attacks hasn't been completed yet."

Hours earlier, the IDF launched a strike on Syrian Army artillery posts in retaliation for the four rockets fired Tuesday at Israeli territory, two of which exploded in the Golan Heights.

Over the past week, Israeli security forces has been on high alert in the northern borders, fearing possible retaliation by Hezbollah over an airstrike last Sunday, which killed Hezbollah operatives, including a top commander and an Iranian general. Endit