CRI听力:Israel Kills 6 Hezbollah Fighters in Syria: TV

Tension is on the rise in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights after an Israeli helicopter strike reportedly killed six Lebanese Hezbollah fighters in a southern Syrian town.

Syria's national TV says an Israeli helicopter fired two rockets from inside the occupied territories toward the town.

Hezbollah says the men were killed during a field reconnaissance mission.

Israel has declined to comment, though unnamed sources confirmed a helicopter strike.

They claimed those targeted were conducting reconnaissance for a Hezbollah attack.

Reports say one of those killed was Jihad Mughniyeh, son of a top Hezbollah field commander killed in 2008.

The incident comes days after a warning to Israel by the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, that his forces might retaliate against what he called repeated Israeli strikes inside Syria.

"Retaliation is an open issue. No side has committed itself to saying that the Israeli attacks would not be responded to. No one has said that. It is not only Syria's right to respond but also it is the right of the axis of resistance to respond."

Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and some Palestinian factions consider themselves an "axis of resistance" against Israel.

Hezbollah militants have been supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the four-year Syrian conflict.

Israel has conducted several air strikes inside Syria since the conflict began, said to be aimed at preventing the transfer of stockpiles of rockets from the Syrian government or Iran to Hezbollah.