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After nearly 18 hours of uncertainty, the Israeli military said on Saturday it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on the group's central headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah has yet to issue any statement on the status of Nasrallah, who has led the group for 32 years.
The Israeli military "eliminated ... Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization," Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in a statement on X.
Later, in a briefing with reporters the IDF spokesman confirmed the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and added: "I want to say this very clearly—Nasrallah was one of the world's strongest and most influential terrorists, and one of the terrorists with the most capabilities in the world. He was a real threat, with the blood of thousands of people on his hands."
"Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world," the Israeli military said in a post on X on Saturday.
Government-controlled media in Tehran was simply repeating the news about the IDF announcement, while large banners were installed in the capital proclaiming “Hezbollah is alive.” There have been no explicit Iranian threats about a potential retaliation against Israel, although some hardliners have voiced the need for revenge.
Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas of Lebanon on Saturday, a day after carrying out the massive attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahiyeh.
Israel's military also announced on Saturday it has mobilized three reserve battalions to bolster its Central Command defense amid escalating conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Earlier in the week the army had reported about other mobilizations. Lebanese on social media were voicing concerns of an Israeli ground operation in the south of the country to push Hezbollah forces away from its border.
