Lebanon’s Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed, following Israel’s announcement that they had “eliminated” him in a strike on southern Beirut the day before.
In a statement, Hezbollah said, “Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, has joined his great, immortal martyr comrades, whom he led for about 30 years.”
The Israeli military said Nasrallah was targeted in a strike on Friday, hitting Hezbollah’s underground headquarters beneath a residential building in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah-controlled suburb of Beirut.
The Israeli military explained, “The strike was carried out while Hezbollah’s senior command was operating from the headquarters, advancing terrorist activities against Israeli citizens.”
Friday’s airstrike on Dahiyeh shook Beirut, leaving a 20-meter-deep (65 feet) crater, according to a Lebanese security source. On Saturday, more airstrikes targeted Dahiyeh and other parts of Lebanon, lighting up the night sky with explosions, followed by further strikes in the morning.
Hassan Nasrallah has led Hezbollah since 1992.
