BEIRUT
A shadowy Lebanese Sunni militant group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the assassination of Hezbollah commander Hassan al-Laqees outside his home in Beirut late last night.
"We officially claim responsibility for the heroic jihadi operation, the assassination of a commander of the devil's party [a play on Hezbollah's name, which means "Party of God" in Arabic] inside its stronghold," the so-called Baalbek Sunni Freemen Battalion tweeted on Wednesday.
"Victory is at hand; this is just the beginning," the group added.
According to Hezbollah, al-Laqees was killed outside his home in Beirut's Saint Therese district as he returned from work at around 12am.
A Hezbollah source told Anadolu Agency that the slain commander had been "very close" to Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Shiite militant group.
Al-Laqees, the source said, had played an "operational role" in Hezbollah's ongoing involvement in the Syrian conflict next door.
The source did not rule out the possibility that Syrian opposition groups had carried out the assassination.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of standing behind the killing, noting that the self-proclaimed Jewish state had made several previous unsuccessful attempts on al-Laqees' life.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor, meanwhile, has denied any Israeli involvement in the commander's murder.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
