Hezbollah Vows Retaliation for Israeli Airstrikes on Syrian Golan Heights

MOSCOW, January 19 (Sputnik) — Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has vowed an "inevitable" and "painful" response to Israeli air attacks Sunday on the Syrian sector of the Golan Heights, which killed six people, a Lebanese-based newspaper reported Monday, citing sources close to the Shiite movement.

"Sources close to Hezbollah say response to Israeli strike is 'inevitable', response will be 'unexpected & painful,'" Lebanon's As-Safir daily said in a Twitter post.

The threat came after the Israeli army carried out an airstrike against militant forces close to the Israeli border, allegedly involved in a reconnaissance mission, several news outlets reported Sunday.

According to news channel Al-Arabiya, the attack killed the son of a late military commander, and Hezbollah field commander Mohammed Issa, in charge of the group's operations in Syria and Iraq.

Israel has refused to comment on the airstrike. Since the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011, Israeli armed forces have been targeting weapons convoys allegedly delivering rockets from the Syrian government to Hezbollah, according to the BBC.

Hezbollah, a paramilitary and political organization with roots in Lebanon's Shiite population, was established in the 1980s, engaging in military opposition to Israel's occupation of Lebanon.

Hezbollah militants have allegedly been taking part in the Syrian government's operations against the armed opposition and the Islamic State (IS).