Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an airstrike on Beirut, the Israeli military confirmed today. Nasrallah, 64, had not been in communication with his organization since Friday night, according to a source close to Hezbollah, reported by AFP.
“Hassan Nasrallah is dead,” Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani announced on X (formerly Twitter). The strike comes amidst escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, following intense rocket fire launched by the group into northern Israel.
Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple Hezbollah sites in southern and eastern Lebanon, including their strongholds in southern Beirut. Several residential buildings were flattened during the bombardment. According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the strike was a response to Hezbollah’s aggression.
“Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world,” the IDF declared in a statement. The Israeli military emphasized that this strike is not the last of its actions, warning, “Anyone who threatens the citizens of Israel — we will know how to reach them.”
Hassan Nasrallah is dead.
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) September 28, 2024
The retaliatory strikes occurred just hours after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching rockets into northern Israel. One attack targeted the kibbutz Kabri using Fadi-1 rockets, which Hezbollah said was in defense of Lebanon against what it described as Israeli “barbaric” aggression. In retaliation, Israeli jets bombed multiple Hezbollah sites, culminating in the airstrike that killed Nasrallah.
Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 28, 2024
Nasrallah, who had been at the helm of Hezbollah for 32 years, held immense power and influence, particularly among Lebanon’s Shiite population. He was considered the central decision-maker within Hezbollah and widely regarded as both a war strategist and a key figure in Lebanon’s political landscape. Over his decades-long leadership, Nasrallah was blamed for orchestrating multiple attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel, as well as directing terrorist operations abroad.
In addition to Nasrallah’s death, reports from Israel’s Channel 12 indicated that his daughter, Zainab, was also killed in one of the airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold. However, there has been no official confirmation from Hezbollah or Lebanese media about her death.
Rumors of Nasrallah’s death have circulated in the past, particularly in 2006 during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, but the Hezbollah leader had reemerged unscathed. This time, the Israeli military has taken a firm stance, asserting that Nasrallah’s death is confirmed.
Also killed in the Israeli strikes was Ali Karake, commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, along with other senior Hezbollah members. These airstrikes have significantly impacted Hezbollah’s leadership as the conflict between the two sides continues to escalate.
In northern Israel, air raid sirens blared throughout the region, signaling further rocket fire from Lebanon. According to Israeli military reports, two surface-to-surface missiles were launched from Lebanon, with one falling in an open area and the other intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system.
The escalating violence has raised concerns of further conflict across the region. Lebanon’s health ministry has ordered the evacuation of hospitals in Beirut’s southern suburbs, anticipating further Israeli strikes. The ministry urged unaffected hospitals to halt non-emergency admissions to make space for those being relocated from areas under attack.
As tensions between Hezbollah and Israel reach new heights, both sides brace for the possibility of further conflict, with significant implications for the broader Middle East. Nasrallah’s death marks a major turning point in the decades-long hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, but it remains to be seen how Hezbollah will respond in the wake of their leader’s demise.