Hezbollah mourns top commander killed in Syria

Islamic Extremism

Stephanie Freid

Hezbollah fighters carry the coffin of their slain top commander Mustafa Badreddine, draped in a Hezbollah flag, who was killed in Syria, during his funeral procession in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Published May 14, 2016 at 4:19 PM
Updated May 30, 2016 at 1:11 PM

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said Saturday that the explosion in Damascus that killed its top militant commander was caused by insurgent shelling and vowed to continue fighting alongside the Syrian government until the rebels are defeated.

The Lebanese militant group said shelling from Sunni extremists killed Mustafa Badreddine. Hezbollah media had originally blamed an Israeli airstrike.

Israel previously tried to assassinate Badreddine. CCTV’s Stephanie Freid reports.

Badreddine was the highest-ranking Hezbollah militant to be killed since the group joined Syria’s civil four years ago.

Reporting by The Associated Press contributed to this story.