Senior Hezbollah operative Fuad Shukr killed in Israeli airstrike
Smoke billows after a hit from a rocket fired from southern Lebanon over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on July 30, 2024. (AFP Photo)
The Israeli military announced on early hours of Wednesday that its fighter jets successfully “eliminated” Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander of the Hezbollah militant group, in an operation near Beirut on Tuesday. Shukr was accused of orchestrating a recent rocket strike on the annexed Golan Heights.
In a statement, the Israeli military detailed the operation: “Israeli air force fighter jets eliminated the Hezbollah’s most senior military commander and the head of its strategic unit, Fuad Shukr, in the area of Beirut.”
The military identified Shukr as the commander behind the Majdal Shams massacre, an attack that resulted in the deaths of 12 children. According to military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Hezbollah fired an Iranian Falaq-1 rocket at a soccer field in northern Israel on Saturday evening, leading to the tragic incident. “Fuad Shukr was the commander responsible for the Majdal Shams massacre, in which 12 children were murdered,” Hagari said in a video statement.
Shukr was described as the right-hand man to Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, and a key advisor in planning and directing the group’s attacks and operations. Hagari labeled Shukr a “senior terrorist who has the blood of Israelis and many others on his hands.”
The Israeli military noted that since the onset of the Gaza war, Shukr had been directing Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel. He was responsible for overseeing the group’s advanced weaponry, including precision-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The military also implicated Shukr in the 1990s abduction of the bodies of three Israeli soldiers, Benyamin Avraham, Adi Avitan, and Omar Sawaid, who were killed by Hezbollah while patrolling the security fence near Har Dov. “Since then, he has planned and directed numerous terror attacks against innocent civilians,” the military’s statement added.
While emphasizing Israel’s desire to avoid broader conflict with Hezbollah, Hagari reiterated the country’s preparedness for any potential escalation. “Hezbollah’s ongoing aggression and brutal attacks are dragging the people of Lebanon and the entire Middle East into a wider escalation,” he said. “While we prefer to resolve hostilities without a wider war, the IDF (Israeli army) is fully prepared for any scenario.”
