The IDF killed senior Hezbollah commander Ali Musa Daqduq in a precision strike in southern Lebanon, the military announced on Sunday.
According to the statement, Daqduq held various senior positions within Hezbollah, including as bodyguard to then-Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, head of the terror group's infantry unit, and founding commander of the "Golan Terrorist Network."
The "Golan Terrorist Network" is the terrorist unit responsible for Hezbollah's involvement in Syria and the established military infrastructure along the Israel-Lebanon border. The network was exposed by the IDF in 2019.
Daqduq orchestrated many of Hezbollah's operations against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel, primarily near the border with Lebanon.
Leiter announces death of senior Hezbollah terrorist before IDF publishes confirmation
Israel's Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, announced the assassination of Daqduq before the IDF statement was officially released.
According to Leiter, Daqduq was responsible for carrying out the kidnapping and murder of five US soldiers in 2007 and managing Hezbollah's "Golan Portfolio" plan to invade and take over northern Israel.
Who was Ali Musa Daqduq?
Daqduq joined Hezbollah in early 1983, The Jerusalem Post previously reported.
He was sent to Iraq in 2005 after Iran asked Hezbollah to form a group to train Iraqis to fight coalition forces in the country. He helped train and advise the terrorists in Jaysh al-Mahdi, now known as Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq. Daqduq was behind bloody attacks against Western troops in Iraq in 2006 and 2007, including the attack that killed five US soldiers.
He was captured by the British SAS in Basra in March 2007 and spent five years in prison. He was released by the Iraqi government in 2012 despite strong protests from Washington. He was designated by the United States Treasury Department that year for his role in the attack.
Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.