IDF Confirms Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah Killed

The Israeli military announced on Saturday that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an airstrike on Beirut. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, has not yet provided any statement regarding Nasrallah’s whereabouts or condition since the attack.

“Hassan Nasrallah is dead,” declared military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani on X (formerly Twitter). Captain David Avraham, another military spokesman, confirmed to AFP that the Hezbollah leader had been “eliminated” following Friday’s strikes on the Lebanese capital.

Israeli fighter jets continued attacking Hezbollah targets from Friday into early Saturday, following the Israeli Army’s warning for residents to evacuate three specific buildings marked for strikes.

Just hours before the attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, reaffirming Israel’s commitment to its campaign against Hezbollah, diminishing prospects for an internationally brokered cease-fire. Netanyahu cut short his visit to the United States and returned to Israel.

Since the conflict escalated on Monday, Lebanon’s health ministry reported that over 720 people have been killed. The United Nations also noted that the number of displaced individuals from southern Lebanon has more than doubled, now exceeding 211,000.

Additionally, at least 20 primary health care centers have shut down in heavily affected areas, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas, following the latter’s incursion into Israeli territory, which ignited the Israel-Hamas war.

Israeli officials have issued stern warnings that Lebanon could face similar devastation to Gaza if Hezbollah continues its rocket attacks, raising concerns that the intense Israeli military actions seen in Gaza since October 7 might be replicated in Lebanon.