Hezbollah confirms Hassan Nasrallah’s death in Israeli airstrike in Beirut

Hezbollah, the Islamist terrorist group in Lebanon, on Saturday confirmed the killing of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a massive airstrike by Israel on the group’s headquarters in Beirut on Friday. The Israel Army claimed earlier today that it killed the 64-year-old powerful Islamist leader in the attack, what they called ‘Operation New Order’.
In a statement announcing the death, the Iran-backed outfit said Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs”. Subsequently, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV began airing Quran verses mourning the death of Nasrallah, news agency Reuters reported.
Officials who spoke to The New York Times said that Hezbollah had identified Nasrallah’s body early on Saturday, along with the body of another top commander, Ali Karaki.
The long-time leader’s death marks a devastating blow to Hezbollah, which has been in armed conflict with Israel since Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. After announcing Nasrallah’s death, the group said it will continue its battle against Israel “in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defence of Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people”.
Nasrallah led Hezbollah for more than three decades and was pivotal in establishing the outfit as a political-militant group in the region. With his killing, Israel is hopeful of dismantling the group’s power structure and pushing the group away from its borders.
Nasrallah’s daughter, Zainab Nasrallah, the commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, Ali Karki, and Iran Revolutionary Guards’ deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan were also reportedly killed in the attack, along with others.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) carried out a ‘precise airstrike’ on Friday evening while Hezbollah leadership met at their headquarters in Dahiyeh, in the south of Beirut. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, six people were killed and over 90 were injured in the strikes, which levelled six apartments and shook buildings within a 30-kilometre radius.
More than 80 bombs were reportedly dropped by the IDF over a period of several minutes to kill Nasrallah.
As Israel continued its wave of attacks in Lebanon, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on Muslims on Saturday “to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the … wicked regime (of Israel)”.
Khamenei, in a statement after the Israeli army said it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, said: “The fate of this region will be determined by the forces of resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront”, state media reported.