Israel said earlier that it had killed the Hezbollah leader in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs a day earlier, in what would be a devastating blow to the group as it reels from an escalating campaign of Israeli attacks.
Nasrallah’s death marks a major blow not only to Hezbollah but also to its alleged backers in Iran. He was a leading figure in the Tehran-backed “Axis of Resistance”, helping to project Iranian influence across the Middle East.
The Israeli military said in a statement that Nasrallah was eliminated in a “targeted strike” on the group’s underground headquarters under a residential building in Dahiyeh — a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut.
It said he was killed along with another top Hezbollah leader — Ali Karaki —and other commanders.
“The strike was conducted while Hezbollah’s senior chain of command were operating from the headquarters and advancing terrorist activities against the citizens of the State of Israel,” it claimed.
The Israeli military “eliminated […] Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation”, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in a statement on X.
“Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorise the world,” the Israeli military said in a post on X on Saturday.
Late on Friday, a source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that Nasrallah was not reachable.
Israeli airstrikes shake Beirut; more Hezbollah commanders killed
Israel’s five hours of continuous strikes on Beirut early on Saturday followed Friday’s attack, by far the most powerful by Israel on the city during the conflict with Hezbollah that has played out in parallel to the Gaza conflict for nearly a year.
