Beirut suburb endures another strike: How was Hezbollah's Fouad Shokor assassinated?

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

In a different time and place, but with the same precision, Beirut's southern suburbs were hit for the second time since October 8. 

The suburb once again served as the focal point for assassination, this time targeting Hezbollah leader Fouad Shokor, following the earlier strike on Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri.

Fouad Shokor, a military advisor to Hassan Nasrallah, had been frequently visiting his office in a residential building in Haret Hreik, near Bahman Hospital. 

Since Israel's vow of a limited but significant response, Shokor had already been a part of Israel's targets. Around 7:47 PM on Tuesday, the building was struck.

Hezbollah is conducting an investigation under strict confidentiality. 

However, according to official local sources and eyewitnesses, the building was hit by two missiles, with a third missile failing to detonate and subsequently defused. 

The severe destruction, which caused the top three floors to collapse entirely and inflicted significant damage on the lower floors, indicates that the missiles struck vertically rather than horizontally, sparing the surrounding buildings.

Comparing the two incidents, the strike on Shokor involved two missiles, whereas the strike on al-Arouri used four. The damage assessment reveals that the missile used in al-Arouri's assassination was designed to explode upon contact with its target, penetrating several layers before detonation. 

In contrast, the missile used in attacking Shokor was highly destructive, causing extensive damage with fewer missiles.