Hezbollah commander killed in Syria

A Hezbollah commander was killed in an explosion in Syria this week, the group said in a statement.

Hezbollah announced the death of Mustafa Badriddine on Thursday. It said he was killed in a large blast that hit one of its centers near the Damascus International Airport.

Months before his death, he had said "he won't come back from Syria unless as a martyr or a carrier of the banner of victory," according to Hezbollah.

An investigation is underway to determine whether the explosion was the "result of an airstrike, missile or artillery," Hezbollah said.

Badriddine was indicted by a U.N.-backed tribunal for his suspected involvement in a 2005 truck bomb that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Hariri and 22 others died in an explosion that targeted his motorcade.

The U.S. Treasury Department designated Badriddine a terrorist last year. U.S. officials have said he oversees Hezbollah's military operations in Syria, including the movement of fighters from Lebanon to help support the Syrian regime.

Badriddine is the brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyeh, a former Hezbollah commander who was assassinated in Syria in 2008.

In addition to senior leader, Badriddine was believed to be a member of Hezbollah's advisory council.

Hezbollah is a Shiite political faction in Lebanon that provides social services to its constituents. It has long been regarded as a terrorist organization by the United States and as an ally of Iran.

source: (CNN)

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