Gathering around an image of Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, mourners attended the funeral of Ali Mohamed Chalbi, a Hezbollah member, in Kfar Melki, Lebanon, on September 19, 2024. Photo by Aziz Taher / REUTERS.
The Israeli military announced on Saturday that it had killed Hassan Nasrallah, the top figure of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, during an airstrike on their main headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, the day before. Hezbollah confirmed this, saying Nasrallah had “joined his fellow martyrs.”
The airstrike, which took place Friday afternoon, is the latest in a string of significant explosions aimed at the leaders of this militant group. Hezbollah has been launching rockets and drones from Lebanon into Israel for nearly a year.
In a Saturday statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that Nasrallah, who had led Hezbollah for over thirty years, was killed alongside Ali Karki, Commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, and other leaders. This strike took place at a command facility buried beneath a residential building in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a traditional Hezbollah stronghold.
“The IDF eliminated Hassan Nasrallah while he and other top commanders were at the headquarters, involved in terrorist activities against Israeli citizens,” the Israeli military stated.
Hezbollah responded with a pledge to “continue the holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine.”
Real-time intelligence on an operational opportunity allowed the IDF to execute the strike, an Israeli military official said Saturday.
The Friday airstrikes in Beirut resulted in the biggest explosions since Hezbollah began its current campaign against Israel on October 8, 2023. This was in response to Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that the strike killed at least six people and injured 91 more, with the toll expected to rise as people were believed to be trapped under the rubble.
Attempting to minimize civilian casualties, the IDF conducted the strikes during the day when many residents would likely be away from home. Israel isn’t looking for a broader war but sought to degrade Hezbollah’s military capabilities and create a leadership void, an Israeli official explained.
In a move signaling the strike’s gravity, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly cut short his U.S. trip and returned to Israel on Friday instead of after the Sabbath, as is customary except in urgent situations.
Earlier, Netanyahu addressed the U.N., assuring that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would persist, discouraging hopes for an internationally supported cease-fire. Several delegates exited before his speech.
This week, Israel has aggressively targeted Hezbollah’s senior leadership, a tactic rarely seen in past conflicts. The strikes focused on the group’s main headquarters, hidden beneath residential structures, said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli army spokesperson. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with Israel’s air force and top commanders for updates.
In a separate statement, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi asserted, “Anyone who threatens Israeli citizens will find themselves within our reach.”
According to Lebanon’s national news agency, the massive blasts on Friday evening reduced six buildings in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburbs to rubble. The shockwave reverberated miles away, shaking houses and shattering windows. TV footage showed craters with toppled cars and collapsed structures in this densely populated Shiite area.
Nasrallah had been in hiding for years, appearing rarely and only via video from unknown locations. The site hit Friday was not publicly known as Hezbollah’s main headquarters, though it was within their heavily guarded “security quarters” in Haret Hreik, where they manage offices and hospitals.
The Pentagon had no prior notice of the strikes, it said.
The White House indicated that President Biden was briefed multiple times on Friday, directing the Pentagon to adjust U.S. force posture in the region for deterrence and protection. Embassies were also instructed to take protective measures.
“The events of this past week highlight how precarious the situation in the Middle East is,” noted Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a press conference in New York. “Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism, but its methods are consequential.”
Israel’s intensified airstrikes in Lebanon come after over eleven months of Hezbollah’s attacks on Israeli territory. While the full scope of Israel’s operation remains undisclosed, officials suggest that a ground invasion is possible, with thousands of troops moving toward the border in preparation.
This week’s strikes in Lebanon have claimed more than 720 lives, including many women and children, as per Health Ministry reports.
A predawn attack on Friday in the predominantly Sunni town of Chebaa killed nine members of the same family, according to the state news agency. The victims were identified as Hussein Zahra, his wife Ratiba, their five children, and two grandchildren.
Vowing to “continue degrading Hezbollah,” Netanyahu’s U.N. speech diminished hopes for a 21-day U.S.-supported truce between Israel and Hezbollah. The militant group has yet to comment on the truce proposal.
Iran’s supreme leader also called on all Muslims to support Hezbollah against Israel but offered no specifics on Tehran’s response to Nasrallah’s assassination.
In his first remarks following Nasrallah’s death, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said all Muslims should stand by Lebanon and Hezbollah against Israel, described as an “occupier, evil, and suppressor regime.”
Iranian state TV reported that their parliamentary national security committee met Saturday to demand a strong retaliation against Israel.
Hezbollah, backed by Iran and the mightiest armed force in Lebanon, commenced rocket attacks on Israel almost immediately after Hamas’s attack on October 7, when terrorists killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 captives. Since then, Hezbollah and the Israeli military have exchanged fire nearly every day, forcing tens of thousands to flee on both sides of the border.
According to an Israeli security official, the anticipated war against Hezbollah wouldn’t last as long as the current Gaza conflict. The military’s goals in Lebanon are narrower, aimed at pushing Hezbollah away from Israel’s border — less ambitious than dismantling Hamas’ militaristic and political structure in Gaza, the official said, speaking anonymously due to briefing rules.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
