The body of senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr was found in the rubble of a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday, a day after it was hit by an Israeli strike, two Lebanese security sources said.
Hezbollah said early on Wednesday that Shukr had been in the building struck by Israel but it did not confirm his fate. Israel’s military announced late on Tuesday it had killed Shukr, whom it named as Hezbollah’s most senior commander and whom it blamed for an attack at the weekend that left a dozen youngsters dead in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Iran-backed Hezbollah denied any involvement in Saturday’s attack.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said 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.” A senior security source from another country in the region confirmed Shukr had died of his wounds. At least two women and two children were also killed in the Israeli strike, medical and security sources said.
Hezbollah’s long-awaited statement on Wednesday said Israel had attacked a residential building in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold for the group, and that “a number of citizens” had been killed and others wounded. It said Shukr “was present in this building at the time” but that the group was still awaiting definitive results on his fate.
Shukr was an adviser to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, according to Hezbollah sources and to the Israeli military’s announcement of his killing. If his death is officially confirmed, he would be the most senior Hezbollah commander to have been killed in nearly 10 months of exchanges of fire between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, taking place in parallel with the Gaza War.
The strike on Beirut came shortly before the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the early hours of Wednesday in Iran, in a development that has further fanned fears of wider regional escalation. Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas.
On Wednesday morning, Lebanon’s civil defense teams were on the ground in the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahiyeh, clearing rubble from the strike, a Reuters witness said. The attack appeared to have shorn off the top corner of a multi-story building and scattered bits of charred debris onto the surrounding buildings and streets.
Lebanese ministers and lawmakers visited the scene on Wednesday. Speaking from the ruins, Hezbollah parliamentarian Ali Ammar condemned the strike on Dahiyeh as well as the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel has made no comment on Haniyeh’s assassination. “This enemy (Israel) demands war and we are up for it, God willing, we are up for it,” Ammar said.
Lebanon’s cabinet held an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss the strike on Beirut and issued a statement read to reporters by Information Minister Ziad Makary. Makary condemned the strike and said retaliation by Hezbollah was anticipated but that the government was worried the situation could “spiral.” “Lebanon does not want war,” he said, adding that the government would engage in diplomatic efforts to calm tensions.
In conclusion, the death of senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in the Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs has escalated tensions in the region. Hezbollah denies any involvement in the attack that prompted the strike and has vowed retaliation. The situation remains volatile, with fears of wider regional escalation as evidenced by the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. Lebanon’s government is calling for diplomatic efforts to calm tensions and avoid further conflict.