Hezbollah commander killed in Syria

Hezbollah says Mustafa Badriddine, one of its commanders, was killed in Syria.

A Hezbollah commander was killed in an explosion in Syria this week, the Lebanon-based group said.

Hezbollah announced the death of Mustafa Badriddine on Thursday. It said he died in a blast that hit one of its centers near the Damascus International Airport.

Months before his death, he had said "he won't come back from Syria unless as a martyr or a carrier of the banner of victory," according to Hezbollah.

An investigation is underway to determine whether the explosion was caused by an airstrike, missile or artillery, Hezbollah said.

Badriddine was indicted by a U.N.-backed tribunal for his suspected involvement in a 2005 truck bomb that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others.

The U.S. Treasury Department designated Badriddine a terrorist last year, saying he oversees Hezbollah's military operations that support the regime in Syria, including the movement of fighters from Lebanon.

Badriddine is the brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyeh, a former Hezbollah commander assassinated in Syria in 2008.

In addition to senior leader, Badriddine was believed to be a member of Hezbollah's advisory council.

Hezbollah is a Shiite political faction in Lebanon that provides social services to its constituents. The United States has long regarded it as a terrorist organization.

Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV, which is loyal to Hezbollah, blamed Badriddine's death on Israel. Israel rarely comments on such claims, but it's the latest in a series of assassinations of leading figures in Syria blamed on Hezbollah's neighbor and adversary.