A number of Syrians were also killed in the attack.
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The Free Syrian Army released a video clip on Monday morning claiming responsibility for killing Hezbollah militant Samir Kuntar. The building appeared to be completely destroyed.
Last January, in another air strike widely attributed to Israel, Hezbollah senior operations officer Jihad Mughniyeh – also implicated in organising Hezbollah operations in the Golan – was killed on the Syrian side of the heights, along with several other Hezbollah members and a prominent Iranian general.
Syrian Information Minister Omran al Zubi said the authorities were investigating the attack but pointed the finger towards Israel, though he fell short of blaming it.
Hezbollah officials have pledged to avenge the killing of Samir Kantar, sparking fears of escalation. In response to the attack, the IDF fired eight mortar shells at the area from which the rockets were launched.
Lebanon’s media outlet, Al-Manar reports, “Israeli warplanes struck the building with four long-range missiles, causing complete destruction of the building and partial damage to the surrounding structures”.
Israeli pundits believed that Sunday’s rockets were not fired by Hezbollah but rather by Palestinian militant organizations located in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah’s approval, however. It said in a statement it held the Lebanese government responsible for attacks emanating from its territory and that it would “continue to act against any attempt to harm Israel’s sovereignty and the security of its citizens”. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
Avi Issacharoff offered a similar assessment of Kuntar’s role in The Times of Israel on Sunday, writing, “Kuntar, who was Druze, is credited with having salvaged Hezbollah’s terror network on the Syrian Golan Heights”.
Kuntar was killed on Sunday by missiles striking Damascus. His brother, Bassam Kuntar, also confirmed his death on social media.
Hezbollah and its followers revered Kuntar for enduring almost 30 years as a prisoner of Israel.
Members of Lebanon’s militant Shia Muslim movement Hezbollah carry the coffin of Lebanese militant Samir Kantar on December 21, 2015.
Israel welcomed his death, saying he had been preparing attacks on it from Syrian soil, but stopped short of confirming responsibility for the air strike on Saturday that killed him.
Infiltrating northern Israel by sea, Kantar and three others killed a policeman in the town of Nahariya and entered the apartment of the Haran family, seizing Danny Haran and his 4-year-old daughter as hostages and taking them to a nearby beach.
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On Sunday, Haran’s wife, Smadar Haran Kaiser, said she felt relief that Kantar was dead. In the past, several bereaved Israeli families have publicly expressed their resentment toward prisoners exchange deals, claiming that they would only lead to more bloodshed. I remember how brutal he was.
