Hezbollah has confirmed the death of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, during yesterday’s bombings in Beirut, just minutes after the Israeli military’s announcement. Hezbollah also pledged to continue its battle against Israel.
“Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has joined his great and immortal comrades—the martyrs of Islam,” read a statement from the organization.
Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 28, 2024
Earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) posted a brief message on Twitter stating, “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.”
The Israeli @IDF confirms that Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and one of its founders, was eliminated yesterday, together with Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, and additional Hezbollah commanders.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) September 28, 2024
Nasrallah will no… pic.twitter.com/1ovmoTh183
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the development with a notable photograph.
In a subsequent update, the Israeli military announced that the airstrikes on Hezbollah’s underground headquarters also killed Ali Karchi, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, along with other leaders of the Lebanese organization.
הרמטכ״ל לאחר חיסול נסראללה: ״זה לא סוף ארגז הכלים. המסר פשוט, לכל מי שמאיים על אזרחי מדינת ישראל – נדע להגיע אליו״ pic.twitter.com/UNki8PWubt
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 28, 2024
The IDF statement on Nasrallah’s “elimination stated: “Air Force fighter jets, with precise guidance from the intelligence wing, struck Hezbollah’s central headquarters, located underground beneath a residential building in the Dahiya area of Beirut. The attack took place while Hezbollah’s top officials were inside, coordinating terrorist activities against Israeli citizens. The strike resulted in the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, along with Ali Karchi, commander of the southern front, and other senior commanders. Nasrallah was the primary decision-maker and sometimes also approved tactical decisions within the organization. During his 32-year tenure as Hezbollah’s leader, he was responsible for the deaths of numerous Israeli civilians and soldiers, as well as planning and executing thousands of terrorist actions against the State of Israel and its surrounding regions. Hezbollah and Nasrallah joined the war against Israel on October 8th, and since then, Hezbollah has continued its attacks against Israeli civilians, escalating tensions in Lebanon and the entire region. The IDF will continue to target anyone who promotes or participates in terrorism against our citizens.”
Additionally, in a briefing, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi clarified that Nasrallah’s death is not the end of the ongoing operation. “The message is simple to anyone threatening Israeli citizens: they know we know how to reach them.”
These statements confirmed the growing speculations from last night in Israel that Hezbollah’s secretary-general had been killed in the attack on the organization’s headquarters in Beirut’s Dahiya area.
Meanwhile, a Hezbollah source told AFP that “contact with Nasrallah has been lost since Friday night,” without officially confirming his death.
The IDF also released a video from their headquarters showing the moment of the Beirut raid that killed Nasrallah, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant present.
Halevi added that “this is not the end of our operation,” noting that the attack that killed Nasrallah had been planned for a long time and was executed at the right time “with precision.” He also stated that the IDF is preparing for further strikes and that they are at a “record level of readiness in all areas.”
Israeli Army Mobilizes Three Reserve Battalions to Strengthen Central Command
The Israeli military announced today that it is mobilizing three reserve battalions to strengthen the defense of its central command, which oversees the occupied West Bank.
This decision comes in anticipation of a period of Jewish holidays, during which tensions often escalate in Jerusalem and the West Bank, where clashes with Palestinian fighters have intensified during Israel’s ongoing war against the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas in Gaza.
“Based on the assessment of the situation, the IDF is calling up three reserve battalions for operational activities to strengthen defense in the Central Command,” the military said in a statement, without providing further details.
