Hassan Nasrallah is dead, confirms Hezbollah after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut
Lebanon’s Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, vowing to continue its battle against Israel.
The announcement came shortly after France’s foreign ministry also said that, according to its information, Nasrallah was dead.
“The security and protection of civilians must be guaranteed, including that of French citizens in the region, which is our priority,” the French foreign ministry added.
The statement followed Israel’s claim that it had killed the Hezbollah chief in a strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs the day before.
Nasrallah’s death marks a major blow to Hezbollah and its regional ally, Iran. The slain Hezbollah leader, a significant figure in the Tehran-backed “Axis of Resistance,” had played a crucial role in projecting Iranian influence across the Middle East.
The Israeli military said it had eliminated Nasrallah in a “targeted strike” on Hezbollah’s underground headquarters beneath a residential building in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah-controlled suburb in southern Beirut. Ali Karaki, a senior Hezbollah leader, and several other commanders were reportedly killed in the strike.
Friday’s airstrike left a 20-meter-deep crater, according to Lebanese security sources, and shook the Lebanese capital.
Despite Nasrallah’s death, Hezbollah continued its cross-border rocket fire into Israel, setting off sirens and prompting residents in northern Israel to take shelter.
The escalating conflict has raised fears of a broader regional confrontation that could draw in Hezbollah’s backer, Iran, as well as the United States.
Israeli military officials said that they were on high alert, hoping Nasrallah’s death might alter Hezbollah’s trajectory, though they remained cautious.
“We hope this will change Hezbollah’s actions,” Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in a media briefing. But he said it would still take time to degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities.
“We’ve seen Hezbollah carry out attacks against us for a year. It’s safe to assume that they are going to continue carrying out their attacks against us or try to,” he said.