Israel claims it killed senior Hezbollah commander in strike on Beirut

BBC:

Israel says it has killed a top Hezbollah commander after carrying out an air strike on a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The Israeli military says Fuad Shukr was the target of an “intelligence-based elimination”.

Hezbollah has not yet confirmed his death, but says Shukhr was in a building that was hit at the time.

Israeli officials say he was responsible for a rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday which killed 12 people, mostly children. Hezbollah has denied any involvement in that attack.

In a statement on Wednesday, Hezbollah said the rubble was still being removed from the site of the building in Daniyeh – a stronghold of the armed group which was “still waiting for the result”.

It said a number of people had been killed in the attack.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned “blatant Israeli aggression”.

He described it as a “criminal act” in a “series of aggressive operations killing civilians in clear and explicit violation of international law.”

In a brief post on social media after the attack, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said: “Hezbollah crossed the red line”.

An Israeli official has confirmed to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that Israel gave the US notice of its Beirut strike.