Israeli Military Claims Hezbollah Leader Killed in Beirut Airstrike
BEIRUT — The Israeli military made a bold declaration on Saturday, asserting that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah met his demise in an airstrike in Beirut on Friday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Hassan Nasrallah, the renowned leader of Hezbollah and one of its founding members, was reportedly taken out alongside Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, and other high-ranking Hezbollah officials. There has been no official response from Hezbollah regarding these claims.
Nasrallah, aged 64, played a pivotal role as one of the founders and secretary general of Hezbollah. He steered the organization for over three decades, overseeing its evolution into one of the most formidable paramilitary forces in the Middle East.
The IDF disclosed that Israeli Air Force jets executed a precise strike on the central headquarters of Hezbollah, clandestinely situated underground beneath a residential building in Beirut’s Dahiyeh area. The strike was carried out while Hezbollah’s top brass were allegedly orchestrating terrorist activities against Israeli citizens from the headquarters.
Following this announcement, the army chief cautioned that this operation marks just the beginning of Israel’s strategic actions against Hezbollah. Israel has been intensifying its assaults on the organization, launching additional strikes on southern Lebanon overnight to target purported stockpiles of Hezbollah weaponry. State-run media in Lebanon reported casualties resulting from these attacks.
Lebanon has witnessed over 100,000 individuals displaced due to the recent conflict, though authorities indicate that the actual figure could be significantly higher. Lebanon’s health minister, Dr. Firass Abiad, estimates that up to half a million people may have been internally displaced.
Hezbollah retaliated by firing on northern Israel shortly after Hamas’ initial attack on October 7. Approximately 60,000 Israelis have been uprooted from their homes, with the Israeli government pledging to facilitate their return. In the past week, Israel escalated its military campaign against Hezbollah, resulting in hundreds of casualties and displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians as reported by the Lebanese government. — CNN
