Israeli media have revealed that the target of the assassination operation conducted in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, was Commander Fouad Shokr, also known as “Hajj Mohsen.”
According to Israeli authorities, Shokr was involved in military activities and had participated in the 1983 attack against the Marines in Beirut for which he is wanted by the FBI. More than 240 marines were killed in the attack.
Shokr is considered an influential advisor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a member of Hezbollah’s Shura Council. He is also responsible for the organization’s missile operations.
The United States had offered a reward of up to $5 million for any information leading to his whereabouts.
While Israeli media claim that the operation was successful, Hezbollah released a brief statement indicating that the attack had failed, specifying that “the attack indeed targeted a high-ranking party official, but it did not achieve its objective.”
