Samir Kuntar in Beirut, 2008 (AP)

Several Israeli media outlets have reported that a drone strike on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights targeted Samir Kuntar, a former Lebanese guerrilla fighter who spent 29 years in Israeli prison before being released in a prisoner exchange in 2008.

Kuntar, 53, was apprehended at age 16 while carrying a militant attack in northern Israel, which killed four Israelis, including a 4-year-old girl. Kuntar denies responsibility for shooting the child and has described her death as a “tragic incident.” 

He is hailed in Lebanon as a hero but portrayed in Israel as a terrorist.

Kuntar, who is Druze, was released in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers 2008 after the July War of 2006. He was a member of the Popular Liberation Front but was released in an exchange between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israeli media reported that he was fighting with Hezbollah alongside Syrian government forces when he was supposedly targeted Tuesday.

The Jewish Press, an Israeli newspaper, claimed that the former prisoner was killed in the strike.

As of Wednesday morning, Hezbollah has not commented on the reports.