PressTV reported that a close source to Hezbollah, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Friday that 19-year-old Kassem Shamkha was killed the previous day as he and fellow fighters were repelling a jihadist militant assault on the western flank of Aleppo.

The late midfielder used to play for al-Ahed Sport Club, which competes in Lebanon’s top soccer division – the Lebanese Premier League. Al-Ahed, which is strongly supported by the Lebanese Shia Muslims and affiliated to Hezbollah movement, has won the Lebanese Premier League crown four times.

“He will go down in history in the club’s records, because he was a hero on the football field just like on the battlefield in defense of the homeland,” al-Ahed Secretary General Mohammad Assi said.

“He was a talented player with huge potential for the club and for Lebanon, but he chose the route of jihad,” he added.