Israel Kills Most Senior Hezbollah Military Commander in Retaliatory Strike

Latest Developments

An Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30 killed the most senior military commander of the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. In a news release hours after the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it had eliminated Fuad Shukr, also known as “Sayyid Muhsan,” in the targeted strike. The IDF described Shukr as Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s “right-hand man” and as a close advisor for “planning and directing wartime operations.” A CNN journalist in Beirut reported that the strike was precise, relaying that “There is almost no apparent damage to the buildings near the targeted building. The windows appear to be largely intact. The shops in the areas also appear untouched by the strike.”

The IDF said that Shukr directed Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel following the October 7 Hamas atrocities and was responsible for Hezbollah’s July 27 rocket attack on the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams that killed 12 children playing soccer on a soccer field and injured 44 others. Shukr “was responsible for the majority of Hezbollah’s most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets and drones,” the IDF said. He was also responsible for building up Hezbollah’s forces as well as planning and carrying out attacks against Israel.

Expert Analysis

“Americans must thank Israel for bringing justice at the end of a missile. This Hezbollah terrorist murdered 241 of our Marines in Lebanon in 1983. He was head of Hezbollah’s missile program, including its deadly precision-guided munitions program. He murdered 12 Israeli kids and many other innocents. Israel is fighting America’s enemies. We can never forget that and must be grateful for her support and sacrifice.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Israel today appears to have closed the score for Hezbollah’s murder of 12 children in Majdal Shams. Fuad Shukr was reportedly the military advisor to Hassan Nasrallah, and his assassination, if confirmed by Hezbollah, will do considerable damage to Hezbollah’s military apparatus.” — David Daoud, FDD Senior Fellow

“The killing of Fuad Shukr is justice served for his victims. Shukr’s elimination underscores Hezbollah’s failure to find an effective solution to counter Israeli intelligence. Shukr’s death is the most significant blow to Hezbollah in this conflict to date, and the group’s response may be a harbinger of a broader escalation that many have long feared for the region.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Shukr Was a Career Terrorist

Besides being a military advisor to Nasrallah, Shukr was a member of the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s highest military body. The United States sought Shukr for his role in orchestrating and executing the 1983 terrorist attack that killed 241 American service personnel at the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut. Due to his actions on Hezbollah’s behalf, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Shukr as a Specially Designated National on July 21, 2015, while the State Department Rewards for Justice program offered a $5 million reward for information on him. According to an Israeli government statement on July 30, Shukr was one of the architects of the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, in which 85 people were killed and 300 wounded.

“Hezbollah Attack Threatens Full-Scale War With Israel,” by Jonathan Schanzer and David Daoud

“Hezbollah Fires Rockets at Israel After Deadly Majdal Shams Attack,” FDD Flash Brief

“Funerals Held for Victims of Hezbollah Attack on Majdal Shams,” FDD Flash Brief

“Children Among Dozens of Dead, Wounded as Hezbollah Rocket Strikes Soccer Field in Majdal Shams,” FDD Flash Brief

“Two Israeli Civilians Killed by Hezbollah Rocket Barrage in Golan Heights,” FDD Flash Brief