Hezbollah announced on Saturday that one of its founders and its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut yesterday.
The group said Nasrallah had “joined the martyrs”. Hezbollah also vowed to continue to fight Israel.
Nasrallah had been in charge for over 30 years. He was the biggest fish to be caught by Israel in this conflict.
The Israeli military confirmed it carried out a targeted strike yesterday during a Hezbollah leadership meeting in Dahiyeh, a suburb in south Beirut.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 6 were killed and 91 wounded in the attack which destroyed 6 apartment buildings. One of the dead was Ali Karki, Hezbollah’s Southern Front commander according to Israeli reports.
Iran also confirmed that Abbas Nilforushan, a high ranking general in the Revolutionary Guard died in the same strike. He was the deputy commander for operations in the Guard and was sanctioned by the US.
An Israeli army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, said the strike was years in the making and involved real time intel. He wouldn’t comment on the munitions used or civilian casualties but said they tried to minimize harm to civilians.
Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, issued a statement condoling the death of the leader saying killing of leaders only strengthens the resistance. The group said Hezbollah’s fight against Israel will continue.
After the announcement of Nasrallah’s death, gunfire was heard in Beirut as a sign of mourning.
Israeli officials, including Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, called Nasrallah’s killing a big success. Halevi said more operations are coming.
The Israeli military has been escalating pressure on Hezbollah as tensions on the border continue to rise, with thousands displaced on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border.
As the situation escalates Israel has called up reserve soldiers and deployed more brigades to the north.
Shoshani said while Hezbollah has taken big losses, much of its military capacity is still intact and Israel will continue to hit them. Gatherings of 10 or more people have also been banned in Israel due to fear of more attacks.
Pictures from Beirut on Saturday showed the destruction caused by the Israeli strikes, several areas reduced to rubble and families running out of their homes.
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