In a message to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, Zarif expressed the Islamic Republic's condolences on the killing of Mustafa Badreddine by the Israeli regime.

Top military commander of the Lebanese Resistance Movement, Hezbollah, Mustafa Badreddine

The Iranian minister said Badreddine was "all passion and devotion" in defending the ideals of Islam and the resistant Lebanese people and in fighting terrorism.

In a statement on Friday, Hezbollah said it is investigating to find out whether a blast which claimed the life of its top military commander was caused by an airstrike, missile attack or artillery.

The Lebanese resistance movement added that initial information indicates Badreddine was killed in a big explosion at one of its bases near Damascus Airport in Syria.

Early reports had suggested that the commander, 55, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike.

He was the commander of Hezbollah's military wing which is helping the Syrian government drive out foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists from the country.

Badreddine also directed military operations against the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and was a frequent target of attempts by Israel, the US and its allies in the Middle East to assassinate or capture him.

Israel is widely known to have been supporting terrorists fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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