The Israeli military said Saturday it had killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iran-backed group. Hezbollahduring an airstrike the day before against the group’s “central headquarters” in Beirut, Lebanon. The militant group confirmed Nasrallah’s death, saying its longtime leader “has joined his fellow martyrs.”
THE Friday afternoon strike was the last of a series of massive explosions targeting leaders of the militant group, which has been firing rockets and drones across Lebanon’s southern border into Israel for nearly a year.
The Israeli military said in a statement Saturday that Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, “was eliminated by the IDF, along with Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, and other Hezbollah commanders.” » during an Israeli strike. fighter jets on the group’s command center “embedded under a residential building” in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which has long been a stronghold of the U.S.-designated terrorist group.
“The strike was carried out while Hezbollah’s senior chain of command was operating from headquarters and carrying out terrorist activities against citizens of the State of Israel,” the Israeli military said.
Hezbollah said in its statement that it is committed to “continuing the holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine.”
An Israeli military official said Saturday that real-time intelligence about an operational opportunity allowed them to carry out the strike.
Aziz Taher / REUTERS
Friday’s strikes destroyed several apartment buildings. These are the largest explosions to hit the Lebanese capital since Hezbollah began firing on Israel on October 8, 2023, in response to Israel launching its war against the group’s allies, Hamas, in the Strip. Gaza.
At least six people were killed and 91 injured in this strike, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced on Friday, stressing that the toll could rise as people were buried under the rubble at the site.
A senior Israeli official said Friday that the IDF sought to minimize civilian casualties by striking during the day, when many people could not be at home. He said that Israel was not seeking a broader regional war, but that Hezbollah’s military capabilities had been significantly degraded by the recent series of Israeli military operations and that the objective The goal of the strike was to leave Hezbollah with a significant leadership deficit.
Mohamed Azakir / REUTERS
In perhaps an early sign of the significance of the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly cut short his visit to the United States to return home Friday instead of waiting until after the Sabbath Saturday evening, his office said. Israeli politicians do not normally travel on the Sabbath except for matters of great importance.
Hours earlier, Netanyahu addressed the U.N., vowing that Israel’s support campaign against Hezbollah would continue – further dimming hopes for an internationally supported ceasefire. Several delegates stood up and walked out before he delivered his speech.
To a degree unseen in past conflicts, Israel last week sought to eliminate senior Hezbollah leaders. Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the strikes targeted Hezbollah’s main headquarters, located beneath residential buildings. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office said he was meeting with the head of the Israeli Air Force and other senior commanders at military headquarters following updates.
In a separate statement Saturday, Israeli army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Nasrallah’s assassination demonstrated that “anyone who threatens the citizens of Israel – we will know how to reach them “.
The series of gigantic explosions at nightfall on Friday reduced six buildings to rubble in the Haret Hreik neighborhood in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, according to the Lebanese National News Agency. The shock wave shook windows and shook houses about 30 km north of Beirut. Television images showed several craters – including one with an overturned car – amid collapsed buildings in the densely populated, predominantly Shiite neighborhood.
Image from social media /via REUTERS
Nasrallah had been in hiding for years and very rarely appeared in public. He regularly gave speeches, but always by video from unknown locations. The site hit Friday evening was not publicly known as Hezbollah’s main headquarters, although it is located in the group’s “security quarters,” a heavily guarded part of Haret Hreik where the group has offices and manages several nearby hospitals.
The Pentagon said the United States had no advance warning of the strikes.
The White House said President Biden was briefed Friday by his national security team “on multiple occasions” and “asked the Pentagon to evaluate and adjust as necessary the posture of U.S. forces in the region to strengthen the deterrence, force protection and full-range support.” American objectives. He also directed his team to ensure that US embassies in the region take all appropriate protective measures.
“The events of the last week and the past few hours underscore how precarious this moment is for the Middle East and for the world,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference Friday in New York , before Israel announced Nasrallah’s death. “Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism. How it does so matters. The choices all sides make in the coming days will determine the direction this region takes, with profound consequences for its people today and perhaps for years to come.
Israel dramatically intensified its airstrikes in Lebanon this week, saying it was determined to put an end to more than 11 months of Hezbollah fire on its territory. The scope of the Israeli operation remains unclear, but officials have said a ground invasion aimed at driving the militant group away from the border is a possibility. Israel has moved thousands of troops to the border in preparation.
Israeli strikes this week have killed more than 720 people in Lebanon, including dozens of women and children, according to Health Ministry statistics.
A dawn strike Friday in the predominantly Sunni border town of Chebaa hit a house, killing nine members of the same family, the official news agency said. A resident identified the dead as Hussein Zahra, his wife Ratiba, their five children and two of their grandchildren.
At the UN, Netanyahu pledged to “continue to degrade Hezbollah” until Israel achieves its goals. His comments dampened hopes for a US-backed call for a 21-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah to allow time for a diplomatic solution. Hezbollah did not respond to the proposal.
Iranian Supreme Leader’s appeal to Muslims
Iran’s supreme leader urged all Muslims to stand with Hezbollah against Israel, but did not indicate how Tehran would respond to Nasrallah’s assassination.
In his first comments since Israel claimed it killed Nasrallah, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “it is the duty of all Muslims to stand with the Lebanese people and Hezbollah” against “occupying, evil and suppressive” regime of Israel.
In a statement read on state television, he said “all regional resistance forces” support and stand with Hezbollah.
Iran’s influential parliamentary committee on national security met on Saturday and demanded a “strong” response to Israel, state television reported.
Iran-backed Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful armed force, began firing rockets into Israel almost immediately after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which saw terrorists kill some 1,200 people in Israel and take 251 hostages. Since then, Hezbollah and the Israeli army have exchanged fire almost daily, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes on both sides of the border.
An Israeli security official said he expects a possible war against Hezbollah will not last as long as the current war in Gaza because the Israeli military’s objectives are much narrower.
In GazaIsrael aims to dismantle Hamas’ military and political rule, but the goal in Lebanon is to drive Hezbollah away from the border with Israel – “not a high bar like Gaza” in terms of operational objectives, the official said, who spoke at the press conference. condition of anonymity due to military briefing guidelines.
Haley Ott and Tucker Reals contributed to this report.
