The Israeli military claimed on Saturday that Hassan Nasrallah, the long-time leader of Hezbollah, was killed as a result of an airstrike conducted on Friday. It would be a devastating blow to the group as it reels from an escalating campaign of Israeli attacks. The attack was aimed at what Israel identified as the central headquarters of the Iran-backed militant group located near Beirut.
Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani stated on X, “Hassan Nasrallah is dead”. In addition to Nasrallah, the airstrike reportedly eliminated several other key commanders, including Ali Karaki, the leader of Hezbollah’s southern front.
Hassan Nasrallah is dead.
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) September 28, 2024
Hezbollah has yet to respond to these claims. A Hezbollah official reported on September 28 that contact had been lost with Nasrallah since the previous evening, shortly after Israel declared it had “eliminated” him.
If confirmed, Nasrallah’s death would mark a major blow not only to Hezbollah but also to its backers in Iran. Reuters reported that he has long been a leading figure in the Tehran-backed “Axis of Resistance”, helping to project Iranian influence across the Middle East.
The Israeli military said in a statement that Nasrallah was eliminated in a “targeted strike” on the group’s underground headquarters under a residential building in Dahiyeh – a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut.
It said he was killed along with another top Hezbollah leader – Ali Karaki – and other commanders.
“The strike was conducted while Hezbollah’s senior chain of command were operating from the headquarters and advancing terrorist activities against the citizens of the State of Israel,” it said.
Friday’s airstrike on Dahiyeh shook Beirut. A security source in Lebanon said the attack – a quick succession of massively powerful blasts – had left a crater at least 20 meters deep. The attack, followed on Saturday by further airstrikes on Dahiyeh and other parts of Lebanon, have escalated the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Implications of Hassan Nasrallah’s Killing
The escalation has sharply increased fears the conflict could spin out of control, potentially drawing in Iran, Hezbollah’s principal backer, as well as the United States. The killing comes amid Israel’s intensified military campaign against Hezbollah over the past two weeks in Lebanon, raising concerns about a wider regional conflict. The escalation started with multiple pager blasts, walkie talkie blasts. It has now progressed to air strike exchange between Lebanon and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel.
Nasrallah, has led the armed group for more than 30 years, presiding over its rise from a guerrilla organization to an armed non-state force in the Middle East. At 64, Hassan Nasrallah has led Hezbollah since the early 1990s and maintained a close relationship with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Nasrallah plays a crucial role in Tehran’s network of proxy forces across the West Asia. Hezbollah is often viewed as the crown jewel in Iran’s “axis of resistance” against Israel and US interests in the region.
Israel insists that its military actions are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure, including important headquarters and weapons facilities in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. As tensions escalate, Israel continues to assert that its operations are necessary to prevent Hezbollah attacks on its territory and to push the group’s fighters away from the border.
Team BharatShakti (with inputs from Reuters)
