Around midnight Damascus time, an Israeli jet hauled through the southern outskirts of Damascus and struck an Hezbollah unit near the Damascus International Airport.

During the airstrike, Hezbollah commander Mustafah Badr Al-Deen (Mustafa Badreddine) was killed in a pinpoint target attack.

His death has been confirmed by a military source in Damascus.

A rare picture of him can be seen here:



Furthermore, two paramilitary Iranian commanders were reportedly killed.

Mustafah Badr Al-Deen has maintained a largely underground presence but is considered one of the most high ranking military commanders in Hezbollah.

In December 2015, a similar Israeli airstrike killed another senior Hezbollah commander in the countryside of Damascus; namely Samir Kuntar.

It is not known how the Israeli jet entered Syrian airspace this time nor why the Syrian anti-aircraft units of Damascus were unable to respond.

It is also unknown how the Israeli intelligence obtained his exact position, although an informant is presumed to have revealed his coordinates.

NOTE: The featured airstrike picture is unrelated to tonight’s airstrike.