'Syrian rebels kill Hezbollah leader'

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said on Saturday that the explosion in Damascus that killed its top militant commander was caused by insurgent shelling and vowed to continue fighting alongside the Syrian government until the rebels are defeated.

Mustafa Badreddine was the highest-ranking Hezbollah militant to be killed since the group joined Syria's civil war four years ago.

Hezbollah said the blast near the Damascus International Airport was caused by artillery shelling from "takfiri" groups, a term Hezbollah uses to refer to Sunni extremists.