Accessibility links

Breaking News

Hizballah Blames Killing Of Top Commander On Jihadists In Syria


Hizballah has blamed the killing of one of its top commanders on jihadists in Syria.

The Lebanese Shi'ite militant group announced the death of Mustafa Badreddine near Syria's Damascus airport on May 13.

In a statement on May 14, the group said its own investigation concluded that Badreddine was killed by “artillery bombardment carried out by takfiri groups,” a word used by the group to refer to hard-line Sunni extremist groups like the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda.

The Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which is close to the group, had initially said Badreddine was killed in an Israeli air strike.

Badreddine's death is the biggest blow to the militant group since the 2008 assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, the chief of Hizballah’s military wing, who was killed in a bomb attack in Damascus.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG