What we know about the Israeli strike that targeted Hezbollah military leader Fouad Chokr in Beirut

The Israeli army announced on Tuesday evening that its fighter jets had “eliminated” the commander of the powerful pro-Iranian formation. The latter did not confirm his death.

A new elimination, with unpredictable consequences. In the midst of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli army announced on Tuesday, July 30, that it had “eliminated” Fouad Chokr, the military leader of Lebanese Hezbollah, a supporter of Hamas, in Beirut. The powerful pro-Iranian party confirmed on Wednesday that its military leader was in the building targeted by the Israeli strike, but said it did not know his fate so far. Here is what we know about this strike, which came on the eve of another high-level assassination, that of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, killed in Tehran, Iran.

A strike on a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut

Three civilians – a woman and two children – were killed and 74 other people injured in the bombing of a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, according to a report from the Lebanese Health Ministry. The top floor of the eight-story building was gutted, leaving a chasm with dangling electrical wires. Ambulances, sirens blaring, tried to force their way through a dense crowd of passers-by gathered around cars covered in debris, according to AFP footage. “I first heard a whistle from my balcony and then a knock. My brother-in-law was there and was injured in the leg,” a resident testified to franceinfo.

Inside the building was Fouad Chokr, Hezbollah confirmed on Wednesday, without announcing his death. The fighter jets “Israeli Air Force fighter jets have eliminated the top military leader of the terrorist organization Hezbollah and the head of its strategic unit, Fouad Chokr, in the Beirut region”the Israeli army said on Tuesday.

Fouad Chokr considered responsible for the Golan attack and wanted by the United States

According to the Israeli forces spokesman, Fouad Chokr was “the commander in charge” of the Golan attack. This deadly shooting, Saturday, on the town of Majdal Shams, located in the part of the Syrian Golan Heights annexed by the Israeli state, killed 12 young people aged 10 to 16 while they were playing on a football field.

Hezbollah has “crossed the red line”Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday evening, minutes after the strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised on Monday a “severe response” to this attack.

According to the US State Department, Fouad Chokr also played “a key role” in “Hezbollah military operations in Syria” but also in the attack that left more than 200 dead in 1983 among the American Marines in Beirut. Washington had announced in 2017 that it was offering rewards in exchange for information useful in tracking down two Hezbollah leaders, including Fouad Chokr.

Israeli “aggression” denounced by Lebanon and its supporters

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the Israeli strike, denouncing it as a “flagrant aggression” and one “criminal act”, and calling on the international community to “lobby” on Israel so that he “stop (…) his threats”.

Iran, which supports Hezbollah, has for its part denounced a “vicious and criminal action” and assured that this attack will not prevent “the proud Lebanese resistance to continue (…) to support the oppressed Palestinians and fight against the aggression” Israel. Russia, of which Iran is one of the main ally, has for its part accused Israel of violating international law.

An elimination that accentuates fears of a regional extension of the war

Fears of an extension to Lebanon of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas and of a generalized conflict in the region are growing. Since the unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israeli soil on October 7, Hezbollah and the Israeli army have exchanged fire almost daily on their common border.

This is the second time that Beirut has been directly hit by an Israeli strike since October 7. In the event of an escalation of tensions in the region, residents of the densely populated southern neighborhoods fear being the victims of new strikes to come, as they told franceinfo.

The Israeli army spokesman warned on Tuesday evening: “Hezbollah’s ongoing aggression and brutal attacks are dragging the people of Lebanon and the entire Middle East into a broader escalation.” “Although we prefer to resolve hostilities without a broader conflict, [l’armée israélienne] is fully prepared for all scenarios”added Daniel Hagari.

“The solution cannot be military”reacted the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. An opinion supported by the American vice-president and Democratic candidate for the presidential election, Kamala Harris. If she considered that Israel had the “right to self-defense” against Hezbollah, she added: “We still need to work on a diplomatic solution to end the attacks.”