Hizbullah commanders killed in Syria

Hizbullah, the Lebanese political party which has militarily resisted Israel in the past said that one of his commanders Imad Mughniyeh was killed by Israeli state terrorism.

"Imad Mughniyeh, a senior Hizbullah commander was killed by Israeli state terrorism," Hizbullah said in a statement.

Hizbullah of Lebanon said that a car bomb in the Syrian capital of Damascus killed its commander.

Hizbullah accused Israel of carrying out the attack on Mughniyeh who was the target of several assassination attempts and abduction by the United States and Israel.

ABC News described today Mughniyeh as "the suspected mastermind of dramatic attacks on the US Embassy and US Marine barracks that killed hundreds of Americans in Lebanon in the 1980s."

"With pride and honor, we announce the martyrdom of a great resistance leader who joined the procession of martyrs in the Islamic resistance," said a statement read on al-Manar, Hizbullah's television station, and published on its Web site.

"The martyr, may his soul rest in peace, has been a target of the Zionists for more than 20 years." Hizbullah planned a show of strength on Thursday in its stronghold in the capital's southern suburbs to mourn his death.

Its television station called on supporters to begin paying condolences in the neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon.

The Syrian government had no immediate comment. His assassination in Damascus, the heart of the government, is noteworthy.

Mughniyeh's name first emerged after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, then mired in civil war. Hizbullah stood against Israeli aggression in July-August 2006 which was viewed by many as a defeat for Israel.