The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said Wednesday that one of its commanders has been “assassinated” outside of his home in southern Beirut. It blamed Israel for his killing, something an official there quickly denied.
A statement issued by the group said Hussein al-Laqis was killed as he returned home from work around midnight. It did not say how he died.
Lebanese security officials said assailants opened fire on al-Laqis with an assault rifle while he was in his car. He was in the parking lot of the residential building where he lived, in the Hadath neighborhood, some two miles (three kilometers) southwest of Beirut, they said.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died early Wednesday from his wounds, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The Lebanese state news agency later published a photograph of al-Laqis, a man who appeared to be in his mid-40s, with neatly cut black hair and a graying close-cropped beard, wearing beige-and-khaki military clothing.
The statement accused Israel of being responsible for the killing. It said Israel tried to kill him several times, but had failed.
“The Israeli enemy is naturally directly to blame,” the statement said. “This enemy must shoulder complete responsibility and repercussions for this ugly crime and its repeated targeting of leaders and cadres of the resistance.”
