TEMPO.CO, Beirut - The Shia Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has announced that one of its commanders, Hassan Al-Laqqis, was killed outside his house in Beirut. "Around midnight on Tuesday, one of the commanders of resistance, Hassan Al Laqis, was assassinated in front of his house in the Saint Therese district of Hadath, as he returned from work," the group said in a statement.
Lebanese security officials told Associated Press that the assailants opened fire on Al Laqis with an assault rifle while he was in his car, parked at the residential building where he lived. He was then rushed to a hospital but died from his wounds.
As the Hezbollah began blaming Israel for the murder, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor denied such involvement. "Israel has nothing to do with this incident," Palmor said. "These automatic accusations are an innate reflex with Hezbollah. They don't need evidence, they don't need facts, they just blame anything on Israel."
AL JAZEERA | CHOIRUL
