Hezbollah commander killed outside home in Lebanon

The Hezbollah statement accused Israel of being responsible for the killing. It said Israel tried to kill him several times, but had failed.

“The Israeli enemy is naturally directly to blame,” the statement said. “This enemy must shoulder complete responsibility and repercussions for this ugly crime and its repeated targeting of leaders and cadres of the resistance.”

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor denied Israeli involvement.

“Israel has nothing to do with this incident,” Palmor said. “These automatic accusations are an innate reflex with Hezbollah. They don't need evidence, they don't need facts, they just blame anything on Israel.”

Yuval Steinitz, Israel's minister of strategic affairs and intelligence, later told Israel Radio he wouldn't comment on “rumors.”

“We are used to this habit that with almost everything there is a tendency first to blame Israel,” Steinitz said.

Hezbollah has fought several wars against Israel. Al-Laqis' son died fighting Israel in the monthlong 2006 war.