On Saturday, September 28th, Israel carried out targeted airstrikes in Beirut, resulting in the death of the top leader of the Islamic radical group Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah.
For the past year, Israel has been relentlessly pursuing the leaders and commanders of Hezbollah and Hamas, the radical Palestinian organization, in their ongoing conflict with these longstanding adversaries.
According to Reuters’ compilation and statistics, here are the key high-ranking figures from Hezbollah and Hamas who have died in the year-long conflict with Israel.
Iran-backed Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday the death of their leader Nasrallah. The Israeli military had previously announced that Nasrallah was killed in airstrikes the day before.
His death is a significant blow to Hezbollah as the organization is facing an escalated Israeli offensive. This is also a major setback for Iran, as Nasrallah played a crucial role in the “Axis of Resistance” in Iran-supported regions.
In a strike on the southern outskirts of Beirut on September 24th, Ibrahim Qubaisi was killed. According to two security sources from the intelligence services, he was the commander of Hezbollah’s rocket unit.
On September 20th, Ibrahim Aqil, the operational commander of Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern outskirts of Beirut. The Israeli military stated that Aqil had served in senior positions within Hezbollah’s military structure and was acting as the deputy commander of the elite Radwan Force, all of whom were taken out in the airstrike.
Aqil had also used aliases such as Tahsin and Abdelqader and was a member of Hezbollah’s high-ranking military body, the Jihad Council.
The US has accused him of playing a significant role in the April 1983 Beirut truck bombing at the US embassy, which resulted in 63 deaths, as well as the attack six months later on the US Marine barracks, killing 241 people.
Ahmed Wahbi, a senior commander responsible for the elite Radwan Special Forces operations during the Gaza conflict until early 2024, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 20th. The strike targeted several high-ranking commanders in the outskirts of Beirut, including Ibrahim Aqil.
On July 30th, the Israeli military struck the southern outskirts of Beirut, killing the senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. The Israeli military identified him as a close aide to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Since the founding of Hezbollah by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards over forty years ago, Shukr has been one of the organization’s key military figures.
The US sanctioned Shukr in 2015 and accused him of playing a central role in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut where 241 American military personnel were killed.
Mohammed Nasser died in an airstrike on July 3rd. Israel claimed responsibility, stating that the forces led by Nasser were responsible for firing towards Israel from Lebanon’s southwest.
Nasser was a senior commander in Hezbollah, with Lebanese security sources revealing that he was in charge of some operations for Hezbollah along the border.
On June 12th, an airstrike by Israel targeted a command and control center in southern Lebanon, killing Taleb Abdallah, a high-ranking Hezbollah field commander.
Lebanese security sources noted that he was in charge of the central region of Hezbollah’s southern border belt, on par with Nasser.
After his death, Hamas launched a significant number of rockets towards Israel.
Based on intelligence assessment, the Israeli military announced that Mohammed Deif died in an airstrike on July 13th by Israeli fighter jets in the Khan Younis area of Gaza. Deif had survived seven previous Israeli assassination attempts.
Deif was believed to be one of the main planners behind the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th last year, which triggered the Gaza conflict. The next day, Lebanon began firing rockets at Israel in support of Hamas. However, Hamas has yet to confirm his death.
Hamas stated that its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Iran on July 31st.
Haniyeh was killed by a missile that directly hit the Iranian guesthouse where he was staying. Israel has not accepted responsibility for this incident.
In a drone strike on January 2nd, 2024, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy leader of Hamas, was fatally targeted by Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles.
Al-Arouri was also a founding member of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades.