Hezbollah leader’s body found in rubble following airstrike

BEIRUT: Hezbollah civil defense teams on Wednesday found the body of senior commander Fouad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike the previous night in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The militant group had confirmed Shukr’s presence in the targeted building earlier in the day after a blackout that lasted throughout Tuesday night.

Conflicting reports emerged regarding the fate of the prominent Hezbollah leader. Security information shared at the site of the attack suggested that Shukr was the main target of the airstrike.

Diplomatic communications with Lebanon intensified in the wake of Shukr’s death. Political observers linked the scale of the response to the attack with the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political bureau chief, in Tehran early on Wednesday.

Relief and civil defense teams continued to remove debris from the upper floors of the Beirut residential building, which partially collapsed after it was struck by three missiles fired by the Israeli combat drone.

Journalists and photographers were not allowed near the site, which was cordoned off by Hezbollah members. Debris was cleared from the surrounding streets, and roads were reopened.

At least four other people are though to have died in the attack: Wasila Baydoun from the southern town of Chehabiyeh; and Hanan Hakim and her two children, Sarah, 6, and Hassan Fadlallah,10, from the southern town of Aainata.

Most of those injured in the blast were discharged from hospital after receiving treatment, with a few remaining under medical care.

In its morning statement, Hezbollah said that “civil defense teams have been diligently working to remove the debris since the incident occurred, but progress is slow due to the condition of the destroyed floors. We are still awaiting the outcome of this operation concerning the fate of the esteemed leader and other citizens at this location, so that the necessary action can be taken.”

The Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs was widely condemned by Lebanese politicians and parties, with demands for “urgent international, regional, and UN action to stop the Israeli killing machine.”

A ministerial delegation visited the site after an extraordinary Cabinet session chaired by Najib Mikati, the caretaker prime minister, who strongly condemned the attack, warning that “matters will escalate for the worse if the enemy continues with its recklessness and murderous, criminal insanity, and if the concerned countries and the international community do not quickly intervene to curb this dangerous escalation.”

Mikati also condemned the killing of Haniyeh, describing it as a “serious threat that could expand the circle of global concern in the region.”

Ziad Makary, the caretaker information minister, said that the Lebanese Cabinet “remains in open session to monitor any developments.”

He added that the prime minister’s office is making “vigorous diplomatic efforts aimed at promoting peace transparently and unequivocally.”

Makary added: “It is natural for everyone to fear the possibility of war.”

Separately, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix; UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert; and the UNIFIL Commander, Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, discussed with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib “ways to contain the escalation to prevent the expansion of the war.”

Meanwhile, the attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs sparked concern and confusion among travelers at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport.

Travel and tourism companies said that many scheduled trips to Lebanon next week had been canceled.

The head of the Association of Travel and Tourism Agents, Jan Aboud, said that a week ago Lebanon was receiving around 14,000 passenger arrivals daily, with at least 85 flights per day. However, yesterday the number of passenger arrivals dropped to 9,500.