IDF: Hezbollah commander killed by his own men

Hezbollah killed its own top military chief, Eisenkot revealed. 

Hezbollah’s top military commander Mustafa Badreddine, killed in Syria last year, was assassinated by rivals within the Shiite terror group, the IDF’s top commander said.

Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot told a news conference on Tuesday the IDF has come to this conclusion, but did not elaborate. He said the death of Badreddine illustrated “the depth of the internal crisis within Hezbollah.”

He also underscored that “this shows the level of [Hezbollah’s] viciousness.”

Badreddine was killed in May 2016 in a mysterious explosion near Damascus shortly after a meeting with his commanders. Hezbollah claimed the blast near the Damascus International Airport was caused by artillery shelling from “takfiri” groups, a term Hezbollah uses to refer to Sunni rival groups. There were no reports of shelling in the airport area at the time of the incident.

Others have since accused the US of killing him.

An Israeli military official said Israel believes the order to kill was given by Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli intelligence believes Badreddine was feuding with Iranian military commanders in Syria. Iran is Hezbollah’s patron. Both Iran and Hezbollah back Syrian government forces.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a confidential intelligence assessment.

Badreddine, 55-years-old, was the highest-ranking Hezbollah commander killed since the group joined Syria’s civil war over four years ago.

Hezbollah has yet to comment.

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

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