Jerusalem, July 31: Israel's army has announced that it killed Hezbollah's top military commander, Fouad Shokor, in an airstrike in Beirut, saying the assassination was a retaliation for a cross-border rocket that killed 12 youngsters on Saturday.Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group and political party, did not immediately confirm his condition."Tonight, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) conducted a targeted strike in Beirut, eliminating Fouad Shokor, also known as 'Sayyid Muhsan,' the most senior military commander and head of the Strategic Unit of Hezbollah," IDF's Spokesperson Daniel Hagari told a press briefing in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
Hagari said that Shokor served also as Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's "right-hand man" and was Nasrallah's adviser for planning and directing wartime operations.In a press release, IDF blamed Shokor for being responsible for the deadly rocket on Saturday that hit a football pitch in Majdal Shams, a Druze town in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
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The commander "was responsible for the majority of Hezbollah's most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs. He was responsible for force build-up, planning, and execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel," IDF said.A strong blast was heard in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday night, and video footage on social media showed mass destruction of a residential building, with rubble scattered in the street.Lebanese media reported that at least another person was killed in the Israeli attack and 35 were injured.
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