Hezbollah claims it shot at Israeli warplanes

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- Hezbollah, the radical Shiite group based in Lebanon, says it has fired anti-aircraft artillery at Israeli warplanes that flew into Lebanese airspace Thursday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces had no immediate comment on the claim.

"Air defense units of the Islamic Resistance clashed with Zionist airplanes that violated Lebanese airspace near Bint Jbail," a Hezbollah official told Reuters news agency. He did not say if the anti-aircraft fire hit any Israeli planes.

Bint Jbail is a Lebanese town about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the Israeli border.

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Israel, which had occupied a self-styled "security zone" in southern Lebanon for more than two decades, withdrew from the area in May 2000. But Hezbollah says it has frequently fired on Israeli warplanes that continue to fly over the area.

Hezbollah also disputes Israel's claims to the Shebaa Farms area at the base of the Golan Heights, territory Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria all say the land rightfully belongs to Lebanon.

The United Nations, which certified Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, considers the disputed area Israeli-occupied Syrian territory.

Hezbollah still holds captive three Israeli soldiers it kidnapped from the Shebaa Farms area last October.

Israel says that Hezbollah guerillas regularly fire at Israeli positions in the disputed territory.