Hezbollah leader killed in Israeli airstrike
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon.
A statement from Hezbollah Saturday said Nasrallah "has joined his fellow martyrs."
Nasrallah was the leader of Hezbollah for more than three decades. He’s by far the most powerful target to be killed by Israel in weeks of intensified fighting with Hezbollah.
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The Israeli military said it carried out a "precise" airstrike on Friday while Hezbollah leadership met at their headquarters in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut. The Lebanese Health Ministry said six people were killed and 91 injured in the Beirut strikes, which leveled six apartment buildings.
Smoke rises over Beiruts southern suburbs during Israeli strikes on September 28, 2024. Lebanons Iran-backed Hezbollah group confirmed on September 28 that its leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed, after Israel said it had "eliminated" him in a st
Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, and additional Hezbollah commanders were also killed in the attack, the Israeli military said.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesperson, said the airstrike was based on years of tracking Nasrallah along with "real time information" that made it viable.
Hezbollah vowed Saturday to "continue the holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine."
The Palestinian militant group Hamas issued condolences to Hezbollah. Nasrallah frequently described launching rockets against northern Israel as a "support front" for Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel targets Hezbollah leader in Beirut strikes
The Israeli Defense Forces targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a "precise strike" Friday on the central headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut, Lebanon. LiveNOW's Andrew Craft spoke about the strikes with retired Marine Corps intelligence officer Hal Kempfer.
"History has proven that the resistance... whenever its leaders die as martyrs, will be succeeded on the same path by a generation of leaders who are more valiant, stronger and more determined to continue the confrontation," the Hamas statement said.
"Assassinations will only increase the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine in determination and resolve," the statement continued.
It was not immediately clear what effect the strike would have on Hezbollah or fighting between the sides that has dragged on for nearly a year. Israel has vowed to step up pressure on Hezbollah until it halts its attacks that have displaced tens of thousands of Israelis from communities near the Lebanese border. The recent fighting has also displaced more than 200,000 Lebanese in the past week, according to the United Nations.
Israel’s Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said Saturday that the elimination of Nasrallah was "not the end of our toolbox," indicating that more strikes were planned.