5 Palestinian fighters killed in deadly Lebanon blast, Israel denies involvement
May 31, 2023
Beirut [Lebanon], May 31 : Palestinian Armed Forces have blamed Israel for the deaths of five of its men in an explosion in eastern Lebanon, close to the Syrian border on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported.
Israel is allegedly to blame for the deaths of five of its comrades in an explosion in eastern Lebanon, according to the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) - General Command (PFLP-GC).
A strike by Israel on Wednesday reportedly damaged positions in the Lebanese town of Qusaya, according to PFLP-GC official Anwar Raja. He claimed that 10 persons had been hurt, with two of them in critical condition, according to Al Jazeera.
However, unnamed Israeli sources have claimed to news organisations that Israel was not responsible for the attack.
Along with having military bases in both Lebanon and Syria, the group PFLP-GC has outposts along their shared border. Israel has been the target of its strikes in the past.
The left-leaning organisation the PFLP-GC has supported the Syrian government since it split off from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in 1968.
In the Syrian conflict, its forces have battled alongside government forces. The organisation, which has bases in Syria and Lebanon, is present at Burj al-Barajneh in Beirut as well as the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus. The organisation gained notoriety for significant acts against Israel, including the hijacking of an El Al plane in 1968 and the machine-gunning of a different airliner at Zurich airport in 1969, according to Al Jazeera.
All 47 people on board a Swissair flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv were killed in 1970 when a bomb was detonated.
