Israel claims Hezbollah military commander, accused of 1983 US marine bombing, killed in Beirut strike

The Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday, according to the Israeli military, was accused of a deadly weekend rocket attack and had been implicated by the US in orchestrating the 1983 bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari identified the strike target as Fouad Shukur, who was allegedly responsible for Saturday’s rocket attack on Majdal Shams, resulting in the deaths of 12 young people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights of Syria.

Hezbollah denied involvement in the Majdal Shams attack and did not confirm Shukur was the target of the airstrike or that he was killed.

If Israel’s claim is accurate, Shukur would be the highest-ranking Hezbollah commander killed since Mustafa Badreddine’s death in 2016 in Damascus. The Israeli military stated that Shukur had directed Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 8, following the Israel-Hamas conflict, and was involved in “the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years.”

Shukur was responsible for Hezbollah’s most advanced weaponry, including guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs. The 62-year-old Shukur was in charge of Hezbollah’s forces in southern Lebanon along the Israeli border and was a top official in the group’s missile program.

A close aide to Hezbollah’s former top military chief Imad Mughniyeh, Shukur became a key military adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah after Mughniyeh’s assassination in 2008. Little is known about Shukur, also known as Sayed Mohsen. The US Treasury Department had offered a $5 million reward for information on him.

Shukur joined Hezbollah when it was founded following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. He was a member of Hezbollah’s Jihadi Council, the group’s top military body, and was accused by the United States of planning the 1983 truck bombing of a Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 American service members. This attack remains the deadliest single-day assault on Marines since World War II, occurring near the Beirut International Airport. A simultaneous attack on French forces killed 58 paratroopers.

The US Treasury Department designated Shukur as a “specially designated national” on July 21, 2015, for acting on behalf of Hezbollah. Shukur also played a role in Syria’s conflict, which began in 2011, where Hezbollah supported President Bashar Assad’s forces.

Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Shukur was accused by Israel of orchestrating many of Hezbollah’s drone and missile attacks on Israel. Despite Hezbollah’s claims of targeting military and intelligence installations, their rockets have hit civilian areas. Prior to Saturday’s incident, Hezbollah’s strikes had killed 13 civilians and 22 soldiers in Israel, while Israel’s attacks in Lebanon had killed over 500 people, including 90 civilians.