Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday the death of Fuad Shukr, the Hezbollah commander responsible for a drone strike that resulted in the deaths of 12 children and teens over the weekend.
Shukr, also known as Hajj Mohsin, became a member of Hezbollah in 1985. He was wanted by the U.S. government due to his involvement in the 1983 suicide bombing of the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, which claimed 241 American lives.
At the time of his death in an IDF airstrike on Tuesday in southern Beirut, Shukr was acting as a senior adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The IDF confirmed the news via a press release, stating that its fighter jets “eliminated the most senior military commander [Shukr]” of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon’s capital.
Hezbollah has not verified Shukr’s death.
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The IDF stated it eliminated Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr following an airstrike in Beirut on Tuesday. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
“As the Head of Hezbollah’s Strategic Unit, Fuad was accountable for a large portion of Hezbollah’s advanced weaponry, including precision-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs,” the release stated. “He was tasked with the force build-up, planning, and execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel.”
Recently, Hezbollah was implicated in an airstrike on a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on Saturday, which killed a dozen children. Although Hezbollah has denied responsibility, the IDF and U.S. military refute this claim.
The strike outraged Israeli officials, prompting the IDF to retaliate with missiles targeting Lebanon shortly thereafter. One missile hit an apartment building adjacent to a hospital in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut.
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People examine damaged vehicles in Beirut on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
An Israeli official conveyed to Fox News that Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant communicated with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin regarding the ongoing situation.
“This was intended to deliver a clear message. We aim to avoid a wider conflict,” the source mentioned. “This is now in Hezbollah’s hands. Within 24 hours after the rocket attack in the Golan Heights, this response was already under discussion among various options.”
On X, Gallant stated that Shukr “has the blood of many Israelis on his hands.”
“Tonight, we have demonstrated that the blood of our people has consequences and that there is no location beyond the reach of our forces to ensure this,” he elaborated.
Men survey wreckage and a damaged vehicle after an Israeli airstrike destroyed parts of a building in Beirut on Tuesday. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., praised the IDF for neutralizing Shukr in a statement on X, referencing the 1983 Marine barracks attack.
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“For the families and victims of the 1983 Beirut bombing, THANK YOU Israel,” wrote Waltz, an Army veteran. “Semper Fi.”
The Associated Press, Reuters, and Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace, Trey Yingst, and Gillian Turner contributed to this report.
