Israel strikes Beirut, says it killed Hezbollah commander in response to rocket attack
WASHINGTON ? The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that it carried out an airstrike in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, and killed a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for a weekend rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Golan Heights.
The target, Fuad Shukr, whom the IDF also refers to as "Sayyid Muhsan," was Hezbollah's most senior military commander and head of its strategic unit. At least one person was killed and dozens inured by a drone that fired three missiles, according to the Lebanon Health Ministry.
A loud blast was heard and a plume of smoke was seen rising above the southern suburbs, a stronghold of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, Reuters reported, citing an account from a witness.
More: 'It was their rocket': U.S. blames Hezbollah for attack that killed 12 children and teens
"The IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians," the IDF said in a statement.
The IDF said it had issued no additional instructions for Israel's civil defense after the strike.
Crossing a line
"Hezbollah crossed the red line," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah responded to Tuesday's airstrike in a statement on social media. "Your assassination attempt has failed," Nasrallah said, adding in a separate message that "an official statement in response will be issued by the Islamic Resistance as soon as all facts are taken into account."
The 12 children and teenagers were killed Saturday when a rocket slammed into a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan. The attack escalated tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border and raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
The U.S. and Israel have blamed Hezbollah for the rocket attack. Hezbollah has denied responsibility.
More: Israeli response to soccer field attack could 'tear Lebanon apart'
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, at a news briefing Tuesday, said she could not immediately comment on the airstrike.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, addressed the Beirut airstrike to reporters after landing in Atlanta for a campaign event: "Israel has a right to defend itself, and I unequivocally support Israel’s right to remain secure and to defend the security of Israel.”
She added: "But all of that being said, we still must work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks, and we will continue to do that work."
Contributing: Reuters. Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel strikes Beirut, kills Hezbollah commander, after rocket attack
