IDF kills Hezbollah commander behind brutal attack on children's soccer field: officials

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the death of Fuad Shukr, the Hezbollah commander who was behind a drone strike that killed 12 children and teens over the weekend.

Shukr, who was also known as Hajj Mohsin, joined Hezbollah in 1985. He was also sought by the U.S. government over his connection to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, which targeted U.S. Marines. 

Shukr served as a senior adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at the time of his death. He died in an IDF strike on Tuesday in southern Beirut, Lebanon.

The IDF confirmed the news in a press release, announcing that its fighter jets "eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist organization's most senior military commander [Shukr]." 

Hezbollah has not confirmed that Shukr is deceased.

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"As the Head of Hezbollah's Strategic Unit, Fuad was responsible for the majority of Hezbollah's most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs," the release said. "He was responsible for force build-up, planning, and execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel."

Recently, Hezbollah killed a dozen children on a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in an airstrike on Saturday. Hezbollah has denied involvement, though the IDF and U.S. military dispute that claim.

The devastating strike infuriated Israeli officials, prompting the IDF to launch missiles towards Lebanon shortly after. One missile struck an apartment building next to a hospital in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut.

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A senior Israeli official told Fox News earlier on Tuesday that Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant was in contact with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin regarding the present situation. 

"This was about sending a clear message. We don’t want to see a wider war," the source said. "Now this is in the hands of Hezbollah. Within 24 hours after the rocket attack in the Golan Heights, this response was being discussed among other options."

On X, Gallant said that Shukr "has the blood of many Israelis on his hands."

"Tonight, we have shown that the blood of our people has a price, and that there is no place out of reach for our forces to this end," he added.

Congressman Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) commended the IDF for eliminating Shukr in a statement on X, where he referenced the 1983 attack against Marines.

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"For the families and victims of the 1983 Beirut bombing, THANK YOU Israel," Waltz, a Marine veteran, wrote. "Semper Fi."

The Associated Press, Reuters and Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace, Trey Yingst and Gillian Turner contributed to this report.