Israel’s military announced on Saturday (September 28) that it had killed the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, in an airstrike on Friday night at the group’s headquarters in Beirut.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated in a social media post on September 28 that the Hezbollah terror organization’s top leader Nasrallah had been “eliminated,” and another Hezbollah leader, the top military commander Ali Karaki, was also killed.
The IDF’s statement on social media read, “Hassan Nasrallah can no longer threaten the world.”
Iran-backed Hezbollah has not commented on the current situation of the organization’s leader who had been at its helm for 32 years.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran founded the Lebanon-based Hezbollah in 1982. During Nasrallah’s decades-long leadership of Hezbollah, he extended Iran’s influence throughout the Middle East region.
Nasrallah’s death not only severely impacts Hezbollah but also deals a significant blow to the forces behind it, the Iranian regime.
Israel’s spokesperson Adraee stated on social media that Israel targeted Hezbollah’s underground headquarters, where the group’s leaders were allegedly coordinating terrorist activities against Israeli citizens.
On Friday night, a source close to Hezbollah informed Reuters that Nasrallah could not be reached.
Shortly after the Israeli attack on Hezbollah’s headquarters on Friday, a source close to the group told Reuters that Nasrallah was still alive.
An Iranian senior security official disclosed to Reuters that Tehran was verifying Nasrallah’s latest status.
Following the large-scale attack on Friday, on Saturday, Israel conducted a new round of airstrikes on Hezbollah’s positions in southern Beirut and other areas in Lebanon.
Before dawn on Saturday, Reuters reporters in Beirut heard over 20 airstrikes, with more following at sunrise. Thick smoke was seen rising in the southern suburbs of Beirut controlled by Hezbollah.
Israel’s military reported that around 10 missiles had been fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.
The IDF stated that they were targeting Hezbollah’s military targets in the Bekaa Valley region of Lebanon. In the past week, Israel has carried out intensive bombing in the area.
Lebanon’s health authorities confirmed that six people were killed and 91 injured in Friday’s initial attack, marking the fourth attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut controlled by Hezbollah in a week and the most severe since the 2006 war.
Since the attacks on Friday, thousands of people have fled the area, gathering in Beirut’s city center and seaside areas such as squares, parks, and sidewalks.
On October 7 last year, Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas launched terrorist attacks on Israel, triggering the Gaza War. The next day, Hezbollah began firing missiles at Israel. Since then, both sides have been engaged in ongoing clashes along the border.
(This article is based on reports from Reuters)