Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several commanders were killed in a targeted airstrike on Hezbollah’s command center in Beirut on Friday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari announced during a briefing that Nasrallah was struck while commanding operations against Israel.
In a post on X, the IDF stated that Nasrallah could no longer pose a threat.
Hezbollah confirmed his death along with others after the airstrikes resulted in the destruction of multiple high-rise buildings in Beirut, leading to at least six fatalities and 91 injuries, as reported by Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
President Joe Biden described Nasrallah’s death as a “measure of justice” for his role in the deaths of many, including Americans and Israelis, emphasizing the U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups.
Hagari noted that Hezbollah was planning a significant attack on northern Israel, which would have been more destructive than a prior Hamas attack. The strikes also targeted Hezbollah’s command center in a residential area, which Hagari justified as a legitimate military target.
Israel’s army chief, Herzi Halevi, warned that more military actions were forthcoming, asserting that threats to Israeli citizens would be met with appropriate responses.
Following the strikes, Hezbollah retaliated by launching missiles toward the Jerusalem area, while Israel implemented restrictions on gatherings in several cities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, returning from a U.N. speech, stated that the killing of Nasrallah addressed the accountability for numerous attacks on Israelis and reiterated Israel’s determination to continue military actions against its enemies.
In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes resulted in additional Palestinian casualties, and a missile from Yemen targeting Israel was intercepted.
