UN expresses 'grave concern' over Israeli attack on Beirut

 The U.N. expressed "grave concern" Tuesday over an Israeli strike on a densely populated suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut that killed at least three people and injured 74 others.

"As we await further clarity on the circumstances, we again urge the parties to exercise maximum restraint and call on all concerned to avoid any further escalation," Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General, said in a statement.

"All parties must comply with their obligations under international law. The parties must urgently recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities," the statement added.

Israel's army said its jets had "eliminated" Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for carrying out an attack on the annexed Golan Heights where the children were killed on Saturday.

A source close to Hezbollah said Shukr was the target but that he "survived the Israeli strike". AFP was not immediately able to confirm that report.

Shukr is "in charge of commanding the military operations in southern Lebanon", the source added, saying he had succeeded top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in a 2008 Damascus car bombing the group blamed on Israel.

Shukr has a $5 million price on his head from the U.S. Treasury, which describes him as a "senior adviser" to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who played "a central role" in the deadly 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut.

The Hezbollah source said two people were killed in Tuesday's strike. Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said a "number" of people were injured.

Lebanon's health ministry said Wednesday that three people,...