Syrian group claims responsibility for Hezbollah commander's death

A group affiliated to the Free Syrian Army (FSA), on Monday claimed responsibility for the assassination of Hezbollah militant leader Samir Qantar, and denied that the attack was carried out by Israel.

In a video posted on Youtube, whose authenticity could not be verified, the so-called "Secret Mission Brigade" in the capital Damascus claimed responsibility for killing Qantar and his companions on Sunday, EFE news reported.

A spokesman for the Syrian rebel group, which follows the operating room of FSA in Damascus and its suburbs, said "we deny what Hezbollah said of a Zionist aircraft attack" in reference to Israel.

The insurgent spokesperson warned that Hezbollah is being watched and that it will not survive future operations.

Qantar, 53, a member of Lebanon's Druze community who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel in 1979 for participating in the murder of an Israeli police officer and two civilians, was held for almost 30 years - the longest of any Lebanese citizen in Israeli jail - until he was exchanged in a 2008 prisoner swap between Hezbollah and Israel.