The Lebanese network Al-Manar TV, affiliated with Hezbollah, read a statement from the organization denying that it would refrain from responding to Israeli attacks in Syria.
“The publications of websites and various media outlets quoted by the enemy are not true. Hezbollah is under no obligation to Russia to not respond to Israel’s shelling of targets in Syria. What was published is not true and is completely false,” the statement said.
Earlier it was reported that the El-Mezzeh military airport in Damascus had been attacked by the Israeli forces.
Hezbollah has previously attacked Israel in response to previous reported Israeli strikes. In January, 2015, following a reported Israeli strike on a convoy of Hezbollah and Iranian military forces on the Golan Heights, Hezbollah shot a volley of guided missiles at an Israeli convoy near the Lebanese border, killing a soldier and a commander in their vehicle.
Russia is heavily backing the Assad regime and their Hezbollah allies in the Syrian Civil War. The rumors, denied by Hezbollah, were that Moscow ordered Hezbollah to show restraint in its attacks on Israel.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and the IDF are reported to have been in close contact with Russian President Putin and the Russian Defense Ministry over new coordination procedures for ensuring that the Russian S-300 anti-aircraft batteries in Syria are not used against Israeli forces.
