IDF confirms: Hezbollah’s number 2, Fuad Shukr, was eliminated

IDF confirms the Hezbollah commander responsible for the Majdal Shams massacre in Beirut was eliminated.

The IDF announced on Tuesday night that in a targeted, intelligence-based elimination, Israeli Air Force fighter jets eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s most senior military commander and the head of its Strategic Unit, Fuad Shukr “Sayyid Muhsan”, in the area of Beirut.

Fuad served as Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s right-hand man and was Nasrallah’s adviser for planning and directing wartime operations, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.

Fuad Shukr has directed Hezbollah’s attacks on the State of Israel since October 8th, and he was the commander responsible for the murder of the 12 children in Majdal Shams in northern Israel on Saturday evening, as well as the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years, the statement continued.

As the Head of Hezbollah’s Strategic Unit, Fuad 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.

Fuad joined the Hezbollah terrorist organization in 1985 and has since held a number of senior positions. As part of his role, he was a member of the Jihad Council – Hezbollah’s most senior military forum.

In the 1990s, Fuad advanced numerous attacks against the IDF and the South Lebanon Army. In 2000, he was directly involved in the abduction of the bodies of three IDF soldiers – SSGT Benyamin Avraham, SSGT Adi Avitan, and SSGT Omar Sawaid – who were killed by Hezbollah terrorists while patrolling the security fence adjacent to Har Dov. Since then, he has planned and directed numerous terror attacks against innocent civilians.

Earlier on Tuesday, contradictory reports emerged as to whether Shukr survived or not, with the most recent reports stating that he was eliminated.

Shukr had also played a role in the 1983 bombing of the US army barracks in Beirut in which 241 American servicemen were killed. The US had placed a $5 million bounty on his head.

The Al Arabiya and Al Hadath Arabic news stations reported that Shukr was eliminated and that his body is being held in a secure hospital, contradicting earlier reports that he had left before the air strike.

The Lebanese Health Ministry told the New York Times that one person was killed and 35 were injured in the strike, three of whom were seriously injured.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said following the air strike that “Hezbollah crossed the red line.”

Eyewitnesses reported hearing an explosion in the Lebanese capital Tuesday evening

Sky News Arabic reported that the explosion took place in a Hezbollah stronghold in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.

The air strike comes three days after 12 Druze children were murdered in a Hezbollah rocket attack in Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights.

On Tuesday afternoon, an Israeli man was killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack on the Galilee.

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