Originally published on December 5, 2013
A Hezbollah commander was shot dead outside his home in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday (December 4). Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the killing, but Israel has denied the charge.
According to Hezbollah sources, commander Hassan al-Laqqis was shot in the head from close range by a silenced 9 mm gun as he arrived home at around midnight in the Hadath district of Beirut.
Hezbollah television footage also showed two bullet holes found in a wall at the scene, and muddy footprints on the ground that indicated there may have been more than one assailant.
Reuters reports, "Hezbollah said Laqqis had been with the group since it was set up with Iranian support in the 1980s to fight Israeli troops occupying south Lebanon. His son was killed in the 2006 war with Israel. The source close to Hezbollah said Laqqis had taken part recently in several battles in Syria.
"Hundreds of mourners attended Laqqis's funeral in Baalbek, following his grey coffin draped in the yellow Hezbollah flag through the rainswept streets of the Bekaa Valley town.
"Some blamed Israel for his death. 'We are all (heading) this way if God wants it. We are defeating the Zionist plan. This is a Zionist operation,' said Ali Saleh.
"But Israel denied involvement. 'This has strictly nothing to do with Israel,' foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said."
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