SOFAR, LEBANON, 1999 FEB 5 (AFP) -- A high-ranking Hezbollah military
official is believed dead in an attack along the Beirut-Damascus road.
His burning vehicle was found 12 km east of Sofar.  The Israeli Defense
Forces, in a rare move, announced publicly that it was responsible for
the attack.  The IDF also noted that the Hezbollah official was "a
military target whose movements had been followed for some time, and
was fair game under the terms of the Grapes of Wrath understanding."

The attack was conducted by the Israeli Air Force after an ambush of
Israeli troops by Hezbollah earlier in the day.

Witnesses report that the official's car was hit at around 2300 hours by
something "very, very bright."  The car then exploded into a massive
fireball that burned fiercely for several minutes.  Attempts to
absolutely identify the car's occupants are still under way.