Palestinian factions condemn assassination of Hezbollah's Samir Kuntar.
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) December 20, 2015
Hamas condemns ‘heinous’ killing of Hezbollah terrorist, Fatah declares him a ‘martyr’
Gaza-based Palestinian terrorist group urges international community to take action against Israel in wake of alleged airstrike in SyriaWell, I wouldn't put it past the "international community".
The Palestinian Hamas group on Sunday issued a condemnation of an alleged Israeli airstrike that killed Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, who had been previously jailed in Israel for his part in the 1979 murders of a family.
“We condemn the Israeli assassination of Samir Kuntar,” the Gaza Strip-based terror group posted on its Twitter account. “This is a heinous crime.”
At least eight others were said killed in the reported targeted assassination, including a senior National Defense Forces commander who Israeli media said was involved in planning attacks against Israel.
Israel Radio reported that Hamas also called on the international community to “take responsibility for Israeli bullying.”
Arab media reported that several Israeli Air Force missiles struck the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, killing Kuntar and eight other operatives, late Saturday night.
A Twitter account associated with the Palestinian Fatah group condemned the assassination of Kuntar and called him a “martyr.”
Hezbollah on Sunday morning confirmed that Kuntar was killed in an Israeli airstrike, and alleged that Israel may have coordinated the hit with Syrian rebel “terrorists” operating in the area. The Assad regime also blamed “terrorist groups” for the strike.
Reports said that Kuntar was assassinated not as revenge for his past actions, but rather because he was planning fresh attacks against Israel.
There was no official Israeli confirmation of the attack, although officials expressed satisfaction over his death. Kuntar was with a group of commanders from various terrorist groups that were planning attacks on Israel, reports said.
Former Israeli national security adviser Yaakov Amidror said on Sunday that Kantar had been “very active in the north part of the Golan Heights in the Syrian side, responsible for preparing the area for attacks against Israel.” [...]
Syrian media said that among the dead was Farhan Shaalan, a commander in the National Defense Forces, a Syrian anti-Israel resistance group founded by Kuntar and others. Those reports said that senior Hezbollah members were also present in the building at the time of the attack.
The building in which Kuntar was believed to have been residing was “completely destroyed” in the attack, according to initial reports.
Palestinian factions vow to follow in Kuntar's footsteps
Palestinian factions on Sunday condemned the assassination of Hezbollah operative Samir Kuntar and vowed to continue in his footsteps.I hope to be reading about many more dead terrorists in the days to come.
Hamas called on the international community to “assume its responsibilities toward this Israeli revel.” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the assassination as an Israeli “crime.”
Ahmed Bahr, a senior Hamas official, said that the assassination would only strengthen the “resistance” against Israel.
Hamas’s armed wing, Izaddin Kassam, accused the “Zionist enemy” of being behind the assassination. It said that Hamas would remain loyal to Kuntar’s path and “pursue jihad and resistance until the occupation is expelled, the prisoners and holy sites are freed and the right of return is achieved.”
The group described Kuntar as the “martyr of Lebanon and Palestine.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Khaled Al-Batsh also accused Israel of being behind the assassination. “Israel must pay the price for this crime,” he said.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said in separate statements that they would continue their fight against Israel despite the assassination of Kuntar. The two terrorist groups praised Kuntar’s role in “supporting” the Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority, which does not have relations with Hezbollah, did not comment on Kuntar’s death.
