Contradictory reports emerge on Hezbollah Commander's fate following Israeli strike on Beirut Suburb

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, a senior Hezbollah commander survived an Israeli attack in a southern suburb of Beirut, an area where the Iranian-backed group is heavily deployed.

According to the Israeli army, the attack targeted Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr, also known as Haj Mohsen, who they allege "was responsible for a deadly attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday."

Reuters, AFP, CNN, and Tasnim news agencies, citing sources, reported that Shukr survived the attack. However, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, citing Israeli sources, said that Shukr was present in the building, and the bombs hit the target accurately.

Hezbollah has not yet released a statement confirming the identity or status of the target.

The US describes Shukr as a senior advisor on military affairs to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a member of the Jihad Council, Hezbollah's highest military body. He has also been involved in the group's campaigns in Syria's civil war, supporting the government of Bashar al-Assad.

On September 10, 2019, the US State Department designated Shukr as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. Earlier, on July 21, 2015, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Shukr under Executive Order 13582 for his activities on behalf of Hezbollah.

The US, which has offered a $5 million reward for information on Shukr, alleges he played a "central role" in the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut that killed 241 US military personnel.