The leader Hezbollah group – Hassan Nasrallah, has been killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut
The leader of Iran-backed Lebanon based Hezbollah group – Hassan Nasrallah, has been killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut.
Just more than a week ago, Israel also killed Senior Hezbollah Commander – Ibrahim Aqil in Beirut. These events come just 2 months after Hamas’s Political Bureau Chief – Ismail Haniyeh, was killed by Israel in Iran.
According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, the recent airstrike reportedly involved the use of 85 bunker-buster bombs, designed to penetrate deep underground before detonating. The strike caused widespread destruction in residential areas, leaving at least 11 dead and over 100 wounded. Hezbollah has confirmed Nasrallah’s death but vowed to continue its operations in support of Gaza and the defense of Lebanon.
Nasrallah, who became Hezbollah’s third Secretary-General in 1992 after the assassination of his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, was a central figure in the group’s rise to prominence. He led Hezbollah through the 2006 Lebanon War with Israel, gaining widespread popularity among Shia Muslims in Lebanon and beyond. However, his decision to send fighters to support President of Syria – Bashar al-Assad in 2011 drew criticism and complicated Hezbollah’s image.
Taking it to X, the President of Israel – Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted (translated to English), “We eliminated Nasrallah. continue >>.” Original tweet in Hebrew:
חיסלנו את נסראללה. ממשיכים >> pic.twitter.com/pOdJS5Jl5k
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 28, 2024
The Supreme Leader of Iran – Ai Khamenei, “The Sayyid of the Resistance wasn’t just one person. He was a path and a school of thought, and his path will continue. Sayyid Abbas Mousavi’s blood that was spilled on the ground wasn’t without an effect & the same will be true about that of Martyr Sayyid Hassan.”
The deaths of Nasrallah and other leaders in these unprecedented attacks on Lebanon and during the mass detonation of pagers and handheld radios belonging to Hezbollah commanders earlier this month have left the group facing a potential power vacuum. The Head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council – Hashem Safieddine is emerging as a likely candidate. Presently, Safieddine oversees Hezbollah’s political affairs. He also sits on the Jihad Council, which manages the group’s military operations, and is Nasrallah’s maternal cousin.
The President of Iran – Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the airstrike and said that the international community will not forget that the order for this “terrorist attack” was issued from New York, referring to Netanyahu’s presence at the U.N. General Assembly where Netanyahu said, “We are winning”. He accused the United States (U.S.) of complicity due to its military support for Israel.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, Nasrallah has given televised speeches extending support for Hamas, while Hezbollah has exchanged cross-border missiles with Israel. In his last speech on September 19, he addressed the pager attacks in Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it would continue its military operation in support of Gaza and the defence of Lebanon. It launched 5 rocket attacks into Northern Israel following the announcement that Nasrallah had been killed.
