Hezbollah senior commander Sayyed Fouad Shukr. Via X.
Hezbollah confirmed that its senior commander Fouad Shukr, also known as Hajj Mohsen, was present at a building in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, that was struck by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on July 30, but said that his fate is still unclear.
“As it is known, the Zionist enemy attacked the southern suburb of Beirut yesterday … targeting a residential building in one of its neighborhoods, which led to the martyrdom of a number of citizens, the injury of others, and the occurrence of great destruction in a number of floors of the building. The great jihadist leader, Brother Sayyed Fouad Shukr (Hajj Mohsen) was present in this building at the time,” the group said in a statement released on July 31.
“Since the incident, the civil defense teams have been working diligently but slowly to remove the rubble due to the condition of the destroyed floors, and we are still waiting for the result that those concerned with this operation will reach regarding the fate of the great and dear leader and other citizens in this place, so that the necessary action can be taken,” it added.
The Israeli strike occurred in Dahieh, a suburb south of Beirut and a stronghold of Hezbollah. Lebanon’s health ministry said three civilians were killed, a woman and two children, and 74 other people were wounded in the strike.
The IDF took credit for the strike, which was carried out by Israeli Air Force fighter jets, saying Shukr had been killed in the attack.
The strike was Israel’s response to a blast that killed 12 civilians in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights on July 28. The IDF alleged that a rocket fired by Hezbollah was behind the blast. However, the group denied targeting the Syrian town.
In a statement, the IDF said that Shukr was responsible for Majdal Shams blast, as well as other deadly attacks on Israel. Since the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, Shukr has been managing Hezbollah’s near-daily attacks against the northern of the country, according to the military.
Shukr was a member of the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s top military body, and was the head of its strategic division, the IDF said.
The commander was also named by the IDF several years ago as a commander of Hezbollah’s precision missile project. In addition, he is wanted by the United States for his role in the 1983 bombing of a Marines barracks in Beirut, with a $5 million bounty placed on his head by Washington.
The IDF said he was a senior military advisor to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, serving as his “right-hand man.”
Early on July 31, the IDF said that there were no immediate changes to the Home Front Command guidelines for Israeli civilians, despite fears of a possible response by Hezbollah.
“We have very good air defense systems, but the defense is not hermetic,” IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a press conference, adding that the public should be vigilant and follow the Home Front Command guidelines.
The spokesman noted the IDF is holding assessments on the home front, and would make an update if there are any changes.
“We are not looking to go to war, but we are well prepared for it,” Hagari said. “Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon and the entire Middle East into an escalation.”
So far, the clashes between the IDF and Hezbollah have resulted in 25 civilian deaths in Israel and the occupied Golan as well as the deaths of at least 21 soldiers and security officers. On the Lebanese side, more than 600 people have been killed, including 368 fighters of Hezbollah and over 100 civilians.
While Israel is attempting to play down the deadly strike on Beirut, the attack will likely provoke a fierce response from Hezbollah that could spark a full-on war. The group warned Israel more than once against targeting the Lebanese capital and said that it would hit the city of Tel Aviv in response.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
