Hundreds attend funeral for slain Hezbollah commander
- 11 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of Hezbollah commander Hassan al-Laqqis on Wednesday in Lebanon's Bekaa valley after he was shot dead outside his home earlier in the day which the militant Shi'ite Muslim group blamed on Israel.
Al-Laqqis, a Hezbollah commander who fought in Syria's civil war, was shot in the head from close range by a silenced gun as he arrived home at around midnight in the Hadath district of Beirut, a source close to Hezbollah said.
Israel, which fought a 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006, denied any role in the shooting and hinted that the motive may have been Hezbollah's military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war with Sunni Muslim rebels.
A previously unknown group, Ahrar al-Sunna Baalbek brigade, claimed responsibility for the attack in a message on Twitter. The claim could not be verified but the name of the purported group suggested Lebanese Sunni Muslim connections.
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of Hezbollah commander Hassan al-Laqqis on Wednesday in Lebanon's Bekaa valley after he was shot dead outside his home earlier in the day which the militant Shi'ite Muslim group blamed on Israel.
Al-Laqqis, a Hezbollah commander who fought in Syria's civil war, was shot in the head from close range by a silenced gun as he arrived home at around midnight in the Hadath district of Beirut, a source close to Hezbollah said.
Israel, which fought a 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006, denied any role in the shooting and hinted that the motive may have been Hezbollah's military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war with Sunni Muslim rebels.
A previously unknown group, Ahrar al-Sunna Baalbek brigade, claimed responsibility for the attack in a message on Twitter. The claim could not be verified but the name of the purported group suggested Lebanese Sunni Muslim connections.