Jerusalem, July 31 (IANS): Israel's army has announced that it killed Hezbollah's top military commander, Fouad Shokor, in an airstrike in Beirut, saying the assassination was a retaliation for a cross-border rocket that killed 12 youngsters on Saturday.

Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group and political party, did not immediately confirm his condition.

"Tonight, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) conducted a targeted strike in Beirut, eliminating Fouad Shokor, also known as 'Sayyid Muhsan,' the most senior military commander and head of the Strategic Unit of Hezbollah," IDF's Spokesperson Daniel Hagari told a press briefing in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

Hagari said that Shokor served also as Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's "right-hand man" and was Nasrallah's adviser for planning and directing wartime operations.

In a press release, IDF blamed Shokor for being responsible for the deadly rocket on Saturday that hit a football pitch in Majdal Shams, a Druze town in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The commander "was responsible for the majority of Hezbollah's most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs. He was responsible for force build-up, planning, and execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel," IDF said.

A strong blast was heard in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday night, and video footage on social media showed mass destruction of a residential building, with rubble scattered in the street.

Lebanese media reported that at least another person was killed in the Israeli attack and 35 were injured.