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Hezbollah Confirms Hassan Nasrallah’s Assassination in Israeli Airstrike on Beirut
Hezbollah has officially confirmed the assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a massive Israeli airstrike targeting a densely populated area in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday.
“Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, has joined his great, immortal martyr comrades whom he led for about 30 years,” read a statement released by the group. The statement added that Nasrallah and several other members were killed “following the treacherous Zionist strike on the southern suburbs” of Beirut.
Iran’s foreign ministry also mourned Nasrallah’s death, affirming that his mission would continue despite the tragic loss. “The glorious path of the leader of the resistance, Hassan Nasrallah, will continue, and his sacred goal will be realized in the liberation of Quds (Jerusalem), God willing,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani on social media platform X.
Nasrallah, who had been the face of Hezbollah for more than three decades, died in an airstrike that leveled six residential buildings in Dahieh, a district south of Beirut, killing at least six people, including children. Rescue teams are still working to locate survivors and recover bodies from the rubble, with the death toll expected to rise significantly. This marked the most devastating attack on the Lebanese capital in over a year.
The Israeli military stated that the airstrike targeted the Hezbollah headquarters in the area. Following the initial blast, a series of strikes were carried out across other parts of southern Beirut.
In addition to Nasrallah, the Israeli military claimed that several high-ranking Hezbollah commanders, including Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, were killed in the attack.
Hours after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed responsibility for the strike, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded, stating that Israel’s military actions in Gaza, Lebanon, or elsewhere “cannot affect or topple the strong structure of the resistance.” Although Khamenei did not directly mention Nasrallah’s death, he strongly condemned Israel for targeting residential areas in Beirut, referring to the attacks as a “massacre of the defenseless people in Lebanon.”
The recent escalation has led to mounting casualties in Lebanon, with over 720 people, including children, reported dead since Israel intensified its bombing campaign on Monday. According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, at least 11 doctors, nurses, and paramedics were killed, and 10 others were injured in Israeli strikes on civil defense centers and a medical clinic in Lebanon.
The Israeli military announced that it was mobilizing additional reserve forces as tensions with Lebanon continue to escalate. On Saturday morning, the IDF stated that three battalions of reserve soldiers were being activated, following the deployment of two brigades to northern Israel earlier in the week to prepare for a possible ground invasion.
The sudden assassination of Hezbollah’s leader is likely to further inflame an already volatile region, raising concerns of a broader conflict as both sides brace for potential escalations.
