Israel said to have hit Hezbollah convoys dozens of times

In first, former air force chief Amir Eshel confirms mass scale of strikes, says over 100 targets struck since 2012

TOI

Israel’s former air force chief said Wednesday that it has carried out dozens of airstrikes on weapons convoys destined for the Lebanese Hezbollah group over the past five years.

The remarks by Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel revealed for the first time the scale of the strikes, which are usually neither confirmed or denied by the IAF.

Eshel told the Haaretz newspaper that Israel hit weapons convoys destined for the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian forces, almost 100 times since 2012.

Israel has largely stayed out of the fighting during the six-year civil war in neighboring Syria, but has repeatedly said it will act to prevent Hezbollah from acquiring advanced weapons.

Hezbollah fired more than 4,000 rockets on Israeli communities during the 2006 war.

Eshel ended a five year term as commander of the air force on Tuesday. During his tenure, he commanded aerial operations during the 2014 Gaza war, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge, and the 8-day Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza in 2012.

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