Hezbollah confirms senior commander killed in Beirut airstrike

The airstrike targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, Hezbollah's capital, on Tuesday evening. It was the second time the area has been hit by airstrikes since October 2023, when Hezbollah and Israel began fighting alongside the Gaza war.

On Tuesday evening, the Israeli military said it had killed Shukr, an individual it said was Hezbollah's top commander and the man behind the July 27 attack that killed 12 teenagers in the Golan.

Iran's proxy group, Hezbollah, has denied any involvement in the attack on the Golan.

The Beirut airstrike came just hours before the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh early Wednesday in Iran, a development that has raised concerns about a wider escalation of conflict across the region. Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas.

Hezbollah said its secretary general Hassan Nasrallah would speak on Thursday at Shukr's funeral.

Shukr was an adviser under Nasrallah, according to Hezbollah sources.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asserted that Shukr "had Israeli blood on his hands. Tonight, we demonstrated that shedding the blood of our compatriots has a price, and there is no place in the world where our forces are not able to ensure this reality."

Shukr's body was discovered under the rubble on Wednesday evening, nearly 24 hours after the airstrike, two Lebanese security sources said.

Medical and security sources also said that at least two women and two children were also killed in the airstrike.

"We are ready to go to war"

The airstrike destroyed a large corner of the high-rise building and sent burning debris falling onto the street in front of the building.

Lebanese ministers and lawmakers visited the scene on Wednesday. At the scene, Hezbollah member of parliament Ali Ammar condemned the airstrike on the Dahiyeh suburb as well as Haniyeh’s killing in Tehran. Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s assassination.

"This enemy (Israel) is challenging for war and we are ready for war, and by God's will, we are ready for war," Ammar said.

The Lebanese cabinet held an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss the airstrike on Beirut, and issued a statement read to the press by Information Minister Ziad Makary.

Makary condemned the airstrike and predicted Hezbollah would retaliate, but the Lebanese government feared the situation could "get out of control".

"Lebanon does not want war," he said, adding that the government would engage in diplomatic efforts to ease tensions.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)