Four rockets fired from southern Lebanon aimed at Israel

Four rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward Israel Sunday evening, a security source told The Daily Star, hours after a suspected Israeli airstrike killed a Hezbollah commander in Syria.

The source said some of the rockets were fired from near the Lebanese towns of Mansouri and Qleileh. Israeli war jets were later witnessed flying at low altitudes over Lebanese border towns, and flares lit up the sky.

Israeli media reported that at least one rocket struck an open area near Nahariya without causing injuries. Haaretz said three rockets exploded in northern Israel preceded by air raid sirens.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which came after an overnight strike killed Hezbollah commander Samir Quntar in a Damascus suburb.

Rocket attacks against Israel have been rare since the end of the summer 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. A ceasefire agreement has largely remained intact except for a few flareups.

The rockets that have been launched toward Israel since that time have mostly been claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked groups including the Abdullah Azzam Brigades.

Hezbollah responded to a Jan. 18 Israeli strike on its convoy in southern Syria several days after the attack by targeting an Israeli military patrol with mortars in the occupied Golan Heights