Lebanon’s Hezbollah confirmed on Wednesday that senior commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Beirut, the Lebanese capital. The strike, which targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut—an area known to be a Hezbollah stronghold—occurred at dusk on Tuesday. Shukr’s death marks the highest-profile casualty from the group in nearly 10 months of conflict with Israel.
The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the strike, identifying Shukr as Hezbollah’s most senior commander. They accused him of orchestrating an attack on July 27 that resulted in the deaths of a dozen young people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has denied any involvement in the Golan Heights incident.
The airstrike in Beirut happened just hours before the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, further stoking fears of a broader regional escalation. Hezbollah and Hamas are known allies, and the timing of these events has raised concerns about increased instability in the region.
Hezbollah announced that its secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, would address the nation on Thursday during Shukr’s funeral. According to sources within Hezbollah and the Israeli military, Shukr was an adviser to Nasrallah.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant commented on the strike, stating, “Shukr has the blood of many Israelis on his hands. Tonight, we have shown that the blood of our people has a price, and that there is no place out of reach for our forces to this end.”
Lebanese security sources reported that Shukr’s body was found under the rubble nearly 24 hours after the strike. The attack also claimed the lives of at least two women and two children, according to medical and security sources.
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