Hezbollah Kills 2 Israeli Soldiers in Retaliation for Israeli Airstrike in Syria

A rocket attacked aimed at Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah has left two dead and threatens to cause the region to erupt in violence.

The New York Times reports that the soldiers were in area that Lebanon views as occupied Lebanese territory. In addition to the two deaths, seven other soldiers were also injured. The militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Hezbollah strike was in retaliation for an Israeli assault within Syrian territory that resulted in the death of the son of one of Hezbollah's founders. A senior Iranian general was also killed in the Israeli attack. Hezbollah vowed retribution, and it came in the form of an anti-tank missile.

The Times says that after the initial Hezbollah attack, both sides traded rocket and artillery fire for hours before eventually letting up in the early afternoon. A UN peacekeeping force was caught in the middle of the altercation and a Spanish peacekeeper was killed. Spain's foreign minister said that they will conduct a full investigation into the peacekeeper's death and will seek strongly seek justice against those responsible.

The UN says that the peacekeeper was killed at a UN outpost near the village of Ghajar that is known by both Hezbollah and the Israeli government and military.

The missile that struck the vehicle and killed the Israeli troops was part of a five missile barrage fired from around 3 miles away, according to the Times. The Israeli government is currently trying to determine its next course of action.

Today's attack comes after rockets were fired from Syria into the Golan Heights, another piece of territory occupied by Israel. Those rockets did not cause any deaths or injuries.