Amid rising tensions in the region, the Indian Embassy in Lebanon has advised Indians to avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon. They have been advised to exercise caution, limit their movements and stay in touch with the Indian Embassy in Beirut.
The Indian Embassy in Lebanon said, “In view of the recent escalation in the region, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon. All Indian nationals in Lebanon are advised to exercise caution, restrict their movements and keep in touch with the Indian Embassy in Beirut through their email ID: cons.beirut@mea.gov.in or emergency phone number 96176860128.”
Tensions have escalated further after a rocket attack on the Golan Heights, reportedly fired by Hezbollah, killed 12 children. In response to the attack on the Golan Heights, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Hezbollah’s top commander Fuad Shukar was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday (local time).
The IDF said in a statement that the Israeli strike killed “Hezbollah’s most senior military commander, Fuad Shukr.” Shukr was on Hezbollah’s top military body, the Jihad Council, and was considered the head of its strategic division.
According to the army, he has been managing Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel since Hamas launched an attack on October 7, including the deadly attack in Majdal Shams over the weekend that killed 12 children. The IDF says Shukar was “responsible for most of Hezbollah’s advanced weapons, including precision-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets and UAVs” and was responsible for the terrorist group’s “force building, planning and execution of terrorist attacks against the State of Israel,” as reported by The Times of Israel.
“Involved in the assassination: Fuad Shukr “Sayyed Muhsan”, Hezbollah’s most senior military commander and Hassan Nasrallah’s right-hand man,” the IDF said in a post on X.
“Shukra has directed Hezbollah’s attacks on the State of Israel since October 8, and was the commander responsible for the killing of 12 children in Majdal Shams, northern Israel, on Saturday evening, as well as the killing of numerous Israeli and foreign civilians over the past few years. He was also responsible for most of Hezbollah’s advanced weapons, including precision-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs,” it said.
Both the Houthis and Hamas have condemned the Israeli attack in separate statements, CNN reported.
A statement issued by the Houthi political wing, also known as Ansar Allah, said: “While we reaffirm our solidarity with Lebanon and its resistance in the face of Zionist arrogance, we appreciate Hezbollah’s great role in supporting the Palestinian people and overcoming their oppression, at a time when Arab regimes have abdicated their role and responsibility in protecting the Palestinian people and confronting their crimes.”
In another statement, Hamas declared its “full solidarity with our brother Lebanon and with the brothers of Hezbollah”.
Hamas also said it considered the Israeli attack a “dangerous escalation.” Israel blamed Hezbollah for a rocket attack on the Golan Heights on Sunday. However, Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
