Lebanese militant Samir Qantar has been confirmed killed in a rocket attack on a building in the Syrian capital of Damascus in the early hours of this morning, Sky News reported.

Lebanon's Hezbollah confirmed that Qantar had been killed in the attack, which Syrian government loyalists claimed was carried out by Israel.

Qantar, reviled in Israel for a 1979 attack that killed four people, was held in an Israeli jail until his release in 2008 as part of a prisoner swap with Hezbollah. He is believed to had since become a senior figure in the group.

Qantar's brother mourned him on Facebook but gave no details about his death.

Source: MENA