Jerusalem: Israeli forces confirmed the death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who has been leading the Iran-backed group for 32 years, the military's Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on Saturday, a day after an Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut targeting Hezbollah's headquarters.
"Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world," said the Israel Defence Forces on X. “The Hezbollah terrorist organisation, headed by Hassan Nasrallah, joined the Hamas terrorist organization in its war against the State of Israel on October 8th. Since then, Hezbollah has been continuing its ongoing and unprovoked attacks on the citizens of the State of Israel, dragging the State of Lebanon and the entire region into a wider escalation,” said the IDF in a statement. The Iranian news agency IRNA said that all claims of his death were “baseless” until an official statement issued by Hezbollah.
Nasrallah was killed along with Ali Karki and other Hezbollah commanders. The Israeli Army said Nasrallah was responsible for the murder of many Israeli citizens and soldiers and for planning thousands of terrorist activities against the Jewish state. He was the main decision-maker and the sole approver of strategic-systemic decisions, and sometimes also tactical decisions in the organisation. 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. He said that the strike targeting Hezbollah leadership was the result of a long period of preparation.
"The IDF will continue to harm anyone who promotes and engages in terrorism against the citizens of the State of Israel," the Army said. Nasrallah's death would be a devastating blow for the Iran-backed group in Lebanon, which has suffered several casualties in the escalating conflict with Israel that has claimed over 800 lives in the past week.
Hassan Nasrallah's daughter also killed: Reports
Zainab Nasrallah, the daughter of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut's suburbs on Friday. This came as Israel stepped up its airstrikes on Lebanon as a wave of air raids hit Beirut, unleashing attacks on the Iran-backed militant outfit Hezbollah’s headquarters that apparently targeted its head Nasrallah.
Israel's Channel 12 reported her death, although there has been no official confirmation from Hezbollah or Lebanese authorities. Zainab, known for her outspoken loyalty to Hezbollah and her family's sacrifices, had previously spoken publicly about the death of her brother, Hadi, who was killed by Israeli forces in 1997, according to the Jerusalem Post.
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The fate of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iran-backed group for 32 years, hung in balance earlier, with Hezbollah yet to issue any statement on his status as Israel continued airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas of Lebanon on Saturday. “Hard to believe he [Nasrallah] got out of it alive,” an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post, adding that Nasrallah had been one of the targets of the strike.
Israel steps up attacks on Beirut
Israel's five hours of continuous strikes on Beirut Friday's attack targeting Nasrallah, by far the most powerful by Israel on the city during the conflict with Hezbollah that has played out in parallel to the Gaza war for nearly a year. The escalation has sharply increased fears the conflict could spiral out of control, potentially drawing in Iran, Hezbollah's principal backer, as well as the United States.
Thousands of people have fled the area since Friday's attack, congregating in squares, parks and sidewalks in downtown Beirut and seaside areas. Israel hopes it will not have to proceed with a ground invasion against Hezbollah in Lebanon, a senior Israeli official said on Friday after Israel attacked the group's central headquarters in Beirut.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had killed the commander of Hezbollah's missile unit, Muhammad Ali Ismail, and his deputy Hossein Ahmed Ismail. Lebanese health authorities confirmed six dead and 91 wounded in the initial attack on Friday - the fourth on Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs in a week and the heaviest since a 2006 war.
The Israeli military on Saturday said it was mobilising additional reserve soldiers as tensions escalate with Lebanon. The military said Saturday morning it was activating three battalions of reserve soldiers, after earlier sending two brigades to northern Israel earlier in the week to train for a possible ground invasion.
(with agency input)
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