Israel says top Hezbollah militant accused of killing US soldiers slain

The Israeli military reported on Sunday that its forces killed a high-ranking Hezbollah militant, Ali Moussa Daqdouq, in a precise strike south of the Litani River in Lebanon on Friday.

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Over the past several years, Daqdouq led much of Hezbollah's operational planning against IDF (Israeli) soldiers along the Lebanon border.

According to the Israeli military, Daqdouq held significant operational responsibilities within Hezbollah. The military stated he led much of the group's operational planning against Israeli soldiers along the Lebanon border in recent years. Furthermore, Israel accused him of orchestrating the kidnapping and murder of five American soldiers in Iraq in 2007. Daqdouq was held by U.S. forces after his alleged involvement in the 2007 incident until his handover to Iraqi officials in December 2011. He was later released by Iraq in 2012 due to insufficient evidence, despite accusations of plotting the soldiers' deaths in Karbala.

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In 2007, he was imprisoned by U.S. forces after orchestrating the kidnapping and murder of five American soldiers in Iraq.

Following his release from Iraqi custody, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Daqdouq. Israel's army characterized his elimination as a "significant blow to Hezbollah's senior chain of command." The military asserted that Daqdouq was one of the most prominent operatives responsible for terrorist activities targeting Israeli civilians, IDF soldiers, and American service members. The Israeli military also indicated that Daqdouq had occupied several senior positions within Hezbollah, including leading former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's security unit and heading the group's infantry unit.

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His elimination constitutes another significant blow to Hezbollah's senior chain of command by eliminating one of the most prominent operatives responsible for terrorist activity against Israeli civilians, IDF (Israeli) soldiers, and American service members.