Lagatar24 Desk
Beirut: The Israeli military claims to have killed Fouad Shukur, a senior Hezbollah commander, in an airstrike on Tuesday. Shukur, accused by the United States of orchestrating the 1983 bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen, was reportedly behind a recent deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that Shukur was responsible for the Saturday rocket attack on Majdal Shams, which resulted in the deaths of 12 young people. Hezbollah has denied involvement in the attack and has not confirmed Shukur’s death.
If confirmed, Shukur’s death would mark the highest-profile killing of a Hezbollah commander since Mustafa Badreddine’s death in 2016. Shukur had been directing Hezbollah’s operations against Israel since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 8 and was involved in several attacks over the years.
Shukur was in charge of Hezbollah’s advanced weaponry, including guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs. As a close aide to former Hezbollah military chief Imad Mughniyeh, Shukur later became a key military adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The US Treasury Department had offered a $5 million reward for information on Shukur, who was also known as Sayed Mohsen. He joined Hezbollah after its formation in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Shukur was a member of Hezbollah’s Jihadi Council and played a significant role during the Syrian conflict, supporting President Bashar Assad’s forces.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Shukur had been accused by Israel of orchestrating numerous drone and missile attacks. Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets, targeting military and intelligence installations, though some have hit civilian areas. In total, 13 civilians and 22 soldiers in Israel have been killed by Hezbollah strikes, while Israeli attacks in Lebanon have resulted in over 500 deaths, including 90 civilians.
