The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in an airstrike on the organisation’s underground headquarters near Beirut. His death was later confirmed by Hezbollah.
Nasrallah becomes the latest, and by far the most powerful, figure to be killed by Israel, and his death marks a major escalation in Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed group.
Key moments
The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in an airstrike on the organisation’s underground headquarters near Beirut. His death was later confirmed by Hezbollah.
Nasrallah becomes the latest, and by far the most powerful, figure to be killed by Israel, and his death marks a major escalation in Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed group.ay Video
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least six people were killed and more than 90 injured by the Israeli strikes on Friday evening, but the toll was expected to rise.
Senior Revolutionary Guards commander killed in strike, Iran confirms
Iran has confirmed that a senior Revolutionary Guards commander was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Friday (writes Samer Al-Atrush, Middle East Correspondent).
Abbas Nilforoushan was the revolutionary guard’s deputy commander for operations and in Lebanon for the guard’s Quds Force.
Iranian media reported he was killed in a strike alongside Hassan Nasrallah.
Other Iranian officials were also believed to have been present, alongside Hezbollah’s leaders.
Nilforoushan was sanctioned by the US in 2022 for his role in violently suppressing opposition protests in Iran.
Lebanese tanks deployed in Beirut
Lebanese army tanks were deployed in central Beirut on Saturday afternoon in anticipation of possible clashes in the wake of Nasrallah’s death (writes Stefanie Glinski, in Beirut).
Pictures show tanks gathering in Beirut’s Hamra district and near the Burj Al Ghazal bridge.
The bridge divides a Shia neighborhood, Khandaa Al-Ghami, and a Christian neighborhood, Achrafieh. Protests have previously broken out between residents on either side.
The Hamra district, however, is not considered a Hezbollah stronghold and is home to government ministries, banks and universities.
The heart of the neighbourhood, Hamra Street, is a major commercial district, and is known for its fashion stores, restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels.
‘Strikes were so powerful I feared my unborn baby would not survive’
Residents in southern Beirut have described being in the area as Israeli airstrikes pounded the suburb of Dahiyeh.
One pregnant women said she feared the blasts were so powerful her baby would not survive.
“I’m eight months pregnant. The baby wasn’t even moving in my stomach and I was so scared that something had happened, God forbid. But finally I felt it,” said Zahraa.
“God, the missiles we saw yesterday, the fires we saw. We could hear every single strike. We haven’t even slept a wink. There’s people sleeping in the streets or sleeping in their cars all around us.”
Like other residents of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold, the family — Zahraa, her husband and two sons, aged 17 and 10 — quickly packed what they could and fled for other parts of the capital, Beirut.
Dalal Daher, who slept out in the open in Martyrs Square in downtown Beirut, said Lebanese lives were considered cheap as Israel carries out relentless strikes.
“If a paper plane flew over to Israel, it will cause endless turmoil. But for us, everyone is displaced and the whole world is silent about it, the United Nations and everyone is silent, as if we are not human beings,” she said.
‘Israel not at war with Lebanese people’
Israel’s war is not with the Lebanese people, said Yoav Gallant, the defence minister.
Gallant said on Saturday: “He (Nasrallah) was the murderer of thousands of Israelis and foreign citizens. He was an immediate threat to the lives of thousands of Israelis and other citizens.
“To the people of Lebanon, I say: ‘Our war is not with you. It’s time for change.’
Israel continues to strike targets under residential buildings
Israel’s military says it is continuing to strike sites belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon, some under residential buildings, after the massive attack that targeted the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israeli army says it hit more than 140 targets since Friday night, including a storage site for anti-ship missiles beneath civilian apartment buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck the weapons stores under six different buildings as part of efforts to “degrade and dismantle” Hezbollah’s infrastructure and capabilities.
The United Nations says fighting has displaced more than 200,000 Lebanese in the past week.
Army spokesman Nadav Shoshani said much of Hezbollah’s arsenal remains intact and that Israel will continue to target the group.
“This isn’t a threat that has gone away,” he said. Shoshani said it is “safe to assume” that Hezbollah will retaliate.
But he said Israel hopes the blow “will change Hezbollah’s actions” and alter the course of the war.
Israel defends attack on Hezbollah headquarters
An Israeli spokesman has defended the airstrike that killed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday night.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut was a legitimate military target under international law.
He also said that Israel had issued stricter guidelines to civilians by limiting the size of gatherings in areas of central Israel to 1,000 people.
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