Hezbollah confirmed the death of its "No. 2" commander, a man with a history that includes helping orchestrate one of the deadliest days for the U.S. Marine Corps in history, after an IDF strike on Beirut.

"The latest information out of Beirut suggests that he did succumb to his injuries after being taken to a hospital for treatment," Deputy State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a briefing Wednesday. "Let's also remember that this was an individual who was involved in the 1983 U.S. Marine barracks bombing and certainly has American blood on his hands."

Fuad Shukr had a $5 million bounty on his head for his involvement in the 1983 Beirut bombings of a Marine barracks, which killed 241 U.S. military personnel and wounded 128 others. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced its strike had killed Shukr, but Hezbollah initially did not confirm his death, saying only that he was present in the building that the IDF destroyed with its strike.

One day after that, Hezbollah confirmed Shukr’s death on the group’s Telegram account, adding that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, will make a public address at Shukr’s funeral Thursday.

"Shukr had American and Israeli blood on his hands. This cannot be ignored," Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. "Shukr was a bit of an everything man for Hezbollah — a terrorist, an engineer, an intelligence officer and obviously a believer in the group’s anti-Israel and anti-American cause.

"The strike is designed to handicap, not destroy Lebanese Hezbollah," Taleblu added. "This raises the operating price for the Iran-backed terror group in Lebanon."

The IDF strike served as a response to an attack over the weekend that killed a dozen youths in Israel's Golan Heights, but Hezbollah continues to deny any involvement in that attack, while the IDF identified Shukr as the mastermind behind the attack.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant applauded Shukr’s death, saying his death proved "the blood of our people has a price, and that there is no place out of reach for our forces to this end." Shukr’s death marks the most senior Hezbollah death in nearly a year.

The IDF strike reportedly killed a woman and two children, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing medical and security sources.

The U.S. State Department issued a level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory for Lebanon, citing "rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," adding Americans who are already in Lebanon should "be prepared to shelter in place should the situation deteriorate."

"The U.S. Embassy strongly encourages U.S. citizens who are already in Southern Lebanon, near the borders with Syria, and/or in refugee settlements to depart," the advisory added.

The United Nations warned against further escalation between the two sides, citing a need to focus on retrieving the hostages and increasing humanitarian aid in Gaza, which could be facilitated by "a return to calm in Lebanon and across the Blue Line."

"Rather than that, what we are seeing are efforts to undermine these goals," Stéphane Dujarric, press secretary for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a press release. "The Secretary-General has consistently called for maximum restraint by all. It is increasingly clear, however, that restraint alone is insufficient at this extremely sensitive time.

"The Secretary-General urges all to vigorously work towards regional de-escalation in the interest of long-term peace and stability for all," Dujarric added. "The international community must work together to urgently prevent any actions that could push the entire Middle East over the edge, with a devastating impact on civilians."

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US tells Americans in Lebanon: ‘Be prepared to shelter in place’

The Biden administration on Wednesday urged Americans in Lebanon to “shelter in place” amid rising tensions in the Middle East over a series of attacks and retaliation among Hezbollah, Israel and Iran.

The State Department updated its travel advisory for the entire country of Lebanon to Level 4: Do Not Travel. It advises Americans already there to be prepared to shelter in place if the security situation deteriorates.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut further encouraged U.S. citizens already in southern Lebanon, near the borders with Syria or in refugee settlements to depart.

The travel advisory comes as tensions in the Middle East are being pushed to the brink of a broader regional war over 10 months of war since Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel claimed responsibility for the killing of a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut on Wednesday, in retaliation for a Hezbollah strike that killed 12 children in northern Israel. But a suspected Israeli strike against a top Hamas official in Iran on Wednesday has escalated tensions higher, with Iran vowing a response.

While the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem updated its security alerts for staff and U.S. citizens to reconsider travel and exercise caution, the embassy in Beirut delivered a more serious warning for Americans.

“Do Not Travel to Lebanon due to rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. If you are in Lebanon, be prepared to shelter in place should the situation deteriorate,” the embassy said in its statement.

It added that commercial flights remain available but for Americans to prepare that last-minute cancellations can occur without warning, pointing to several airlines suspending or canceling flights out of Beirut.

The embassy warned against counting on U.S. military-assisted evacuations.

“U.S. military-assisted evacuations of civilians from a foreign country are rare. There is no guarantee the U.S. government will evacuate private U.S. citizens and their family members in a crisis situation,” the embassy said in a statement.

“In the event that a U.S. military-assisted evacuation does occur, our focus will be on helping U.S. citizens. Please ensure that you have valid travel documents to facilitate travel out of Lebanon and into a safe third country location.”

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Australia urges citizens to leave Lebanon due to Israel-Hezbollah tensions

Australia has asked its citizens in Lebanon to leave immediately, saying there was a real risk that the tensions between Israel and militant group Hezbollah could escalate seriously.

The request follows similar advisories by allies United States and Britain this week.

"Now is the time to leave, the security situation could deteriorate quickly with little or no notice," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a video posted on social media platform X late on Wednesday.

Wong said Beirut airport could shut down completely if the situation worsens, potentially stranding people wishing to leave for "an extended period" and urged Australians to use commercial flights while they operate.

The Middle East has been on the edge for months amid Israel's war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.

Some 15,000 Australians reside in Lebanon, with the number rising by thousands during the country's summer months of June to September, according to the Australian Foreign Affairs website. Around half a million Australians reported Lebanese ancestry in the 2021 census.

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Britons in Lebanon urged to register with Foreign Office as Navy ships near if evacuation needed

Britons in Lebanon were urged on Wednesday to register with the Foreign Office as tensions in the Middle East rocketed.

The British government put out the advice stating: “TRAVEL UPDATE: if you are a British national in Lebanon, you should register your presence to receive the latest information”

British nationals in Lebanon have been urged to leave the country, while commercial flights are still running.

They have also been told not to travel to Lebanon, and if they are there to have plans in place which do not depend on support from the UK government to deal with a suddenly deteriorating situation.

Fears of the Gaza conflict escalating into a wider Middle East war dramatically increased on Wednesday after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.

His death came 24 hours after Israel claimed to have killed a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon it said was behind a deadly strike on a football pitch in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights which killed a dozen children and teenagers on Saturday.

Royal Navy ship HMS Duncan and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Cardigan Bay are in the region undertaking existing tasks and have not currently be deployed to take part in any evacuation operation.

However, evacuations from previous war zones have been preceded by registration schemes being set up.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy tweeted: “British nationals in Lebanon should register their presence to receive the latest information from FCDO.”

The Foreign Office stressed that the registration service is for British nationals to tell the UK government that they are in Lebanon.

“Once you have registered, we will send you important updates,” it added.

“Check the (FCDO) travel advice for Lebanon for the latest guidance.

“You can only register if you hold a UK passport.”

To register, British citizens will need an email address that they can access, their UK passport number.

If people are unable to use the Foreign Office online form, they can phone +44 20 7008 5000.

Britain evacuated 2,197 people to safety from Sudan in spring of 2023 in what the Government said was the longest and largest airlift by any Western nation during the crisis.

The RAF deployed more than 1,000 personnel as an air bridge was put in place to rescue people in the war-stricken country.

Nationals from the US, Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, Germany and Australia were also on the UK evacuation flights.

The British government has in the past been accused of being slow to evacuate its citizens from conflict zones but often has to put in place plans to bring home far more people than other countries.

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