On July 30, 2024, a precise Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Fuad Shukr, just minutes after a phone call lured him from his second-floor office to his seventh-floor residence. The Wall Street Journal, citing a Hezbollah official, reported that Shukr, who was highly secretive and rarely seen in public, had been living and working in the same building to minimize his outside exposure. However, the mysterious call prompted him to move upstairs, making him a more accessible target for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), who had been tracking him.
🇱🇧EXCLUSIVE: NEW FOOTAGE OF THE MOMENT ISRAEL HIT BERUIT
The strike appeared to be extremely precise; nearby buildings and shops remain largely untouched, with minimal visible damage. https://t.co/OfZP2jA0MH pic.twitter.com/fpB2CDQEsu
— ChoosyBluesy (@ChoosyBluesy) July 30, 2024
The airstrike, which also killed Shukr’s wife, two other women, and two children, came in response to a Hezbollah rocket attack that killed 12 children in the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams. The strike left a significant part of the multi-story building in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut destroyed, scattering debris across the area and wounding around 70 others. Hezbollah and Iranian officials believe that the call, which led Shukr to his death, likely came from an infiltrator within the group’s communications network, highlighting a significant breach in Hezbollah’s security.
Shukr, one of Hezbollah’s founding members and a close ally of leader Hassan Nasrallah, was responsible for overseeing various military operations, including the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 and the 2006 cross-border raid that triggered the Lebanon War. In recent years, he played a crucial role in enhancing Hezbollah’s missile capabilities with Iranian assistance, making the group one of the most well-armed non-state actors in the region. The IDF justified the strike by pointing to Shukr’s involvement in numerous attacks against Israel, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stating, “He has the blood of many Israelis on his hands.”
In the aftermath of Shukr’s assassination, Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has launched an investigation into the breach that compromised one of its most significant leaders. This incident has intensified tensions in the region, with fears of further escalation. The airstrike on Shukr, coupled with the subsequent assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, believed to be orchestrated by Israel, has led to vows of retaliation from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, raising concerns of a broader conflict in the Middle East. The United States has since increased its military presence in the region, deploying warships, fighter jets, and a submarine to deter any potential flare-ups between Israel and Iran.
Expanded Coverage:
