Israel kills Hezbollah chief Nasrallah in Beirut

Tel Aviv/Beirut/Tehran/Washington/Moscow: Israel today claimed to have killed Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the “terrorist army” Hezbollah. Israeli Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced that Nasrallah was killed by the Israel Defense Forces in a precise strike in Beirut last night, while he was in Hezbollah’s Central Headquarters commanding more imminent attacks against the people of Israel.

“As of last night, Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, will no longer be able to terrorize the world. For Nasrallah’s many victims over the decades, whether in Israel, Argentina, Bulgaria, Syria, or Lebanon itself, justice has been served,” RAdm. Daniel Hagari said. He went on to declare that as part of the extensive aerial operation to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure and capabilities, Israel was preparing to conduct strikes on “strategic assets that Hezbollah has hidden underground beneath three buildings in the heart of the Dahieh in Beirut”.

Hezbollah confirmed the Israeli claim of Nasrallah’s death in a statement and vowed to continue its fight against Israel “in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defence of Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people”. Iran declared a five-day state mourning while Iraq announced a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect to Nasrallah. Russia and Türkiye too deplored the killing of Nasrallah and other top Hezbollah commanders by Israel. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement today, where it mentioned Hezbollah’s confirmation of Nasrallah who had been heading the organisation for over 30 years. “This is yet another political assassination committed by Israel, and Russia condemns it with great resolve,” it stated.

The Times of Israel reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was transferred to a secure location inside the country amid heightened security measures. “The blood of the martyr shall not go unavenged,” Khamenei said in the statement, in which he announced five days of mourning to mark Nasrallah’s death.

In Tehran, without mentioning Nasrallah’s name, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government was “following up on this recent crime by the Zionists and will be with the Lebanese nation and the axis of resistance”.

Pezeshkian condemned today’s attacks by the Zionist regime on the Dahieh area in Beirut and considered it an open and unconcealable war crime. He said: “It is expected that all countries of the world, especially Islamic countries, will firmly condemn this crime. I express my sympathy to the nation and government of Lebanon and offer my condolences to the families of the proud martyrs of this incident.”

RAdm. Hagari said for decades, Hezbollah, under the command of Hassan Nasrallah, orchestrated countless attacks against innocent people. “Hassan Nasrallah had the blood of thousands of men, women and children on his hands. Israelis. Jews across the world. Lebanese. Americans. British. French. Syrians and other countless victims across the Middle East and beyond,” he said. He further claimed that Hezbollah, under the command of Hassan Nasrallah, joined Hamas in attacking Israel on October 8, 2023, just one day after Hamas‘s massacre on October 7. 

For almost a year, Hezbollah, under the command of Hassan Nasrallah, has been firing thousands of rockets, suicide drones full of explosives, anti-tank missiles and ballistic missiles at Israeli towns and cities. 60,000 Israelis fled their homes in northern Israel. 

Radm. Hagari pointed out that Hezbollah openly declared that it has a plan to carry out its own October 7 massacre on Israel’s northern border but on an even larger scale. They call this plan “Conquer the Galilee.”  

According to RAdm. Hagari, Hezbollah has been planning to do in northern Israel what Hamas did in southern Israel on October 7: invade Israel, infiltrate civilian communities, and massacre innocent civilians.

“The Israel Defense Forces has a duty to foil their plans,” he said. 

Israel claimed the 64-year-old Hassan Nasrallah, the senior terrorists eliminated with him, and the central headquarters they were in, were “legitimate” military targets under international law.

“Nasrallah intentionally built Hezbollah’s central headquarters under residential buildings in Dahiya, Beirut—because Hezbollah intentionally uses Lebanese civilians as human shields. While Hezbollah seeks to maximize civilian harm, Israel seeks to minimize it,” RAdm. Hagari said. He added: “Our war is not with the Lebanese people; our war is with Hezbollah. Hezbollah, under the command of Hassan Nasrallah, chose to join the war that Hamas started. There are consequences for that decision.”

Since its inception in 1982, Hezbollah transitioned from a militia to a hybrid political-military entity. Under the leadership of Hassan Nasrallah, it emerged as a powerful organization with incredibly powerful military forces, benefiting from strong support from Iran, and gained political legitimacy within Lebanon. Nasrallah had remained in hiding, presenting speeches from within a bunker. 

In the complex geopolitical Middle East landscape, the organization’s military, political, and ideological activities, especially within Lebanon have significant implications for regional security, particularly concerning the tension with Israel.

Hezbollah is recognized as a global terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom, The Arab League, Canada, Argentina, Bahrain, Colombia, Germany, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Honduras, Israel, the Netherlands, Paraguay. Australia, the European Union and New Zealand recognize the military wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. 

Israel sees Hezbollah as not just a threat to Israel, but as a threat to the State of Lebanon, and a threat to the world, backed by the regime in Iran. 

“We warned the world countless times: Hezbollah is dragging the State of Lebanon and the entire region into a wider escalation. Israel does not seek a wider escalation. We seek two things: to bring our hostages home from almost a year in Hamas captivity and to make sure that our borders are safe and secure for our citizens,” RAdm. Hagari said.

Meanwhile, the United States Department of State considered the threat to U.S. government personnel in Beirut serious enough to require them to live and work under strict security. U.S. Embassy Beirut personnel were restricted from personal travel without advance permission.

Due to the increased volatility following airstrikes within Beirut and the volatile and unpredictable security situation throughout Lebanon, the U.S. Embassy urged U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available. “At this time, commercial flights are available, but at reduced capacity. If the security situation worsens, commercial options to depart may become unavailable,” it stated.

– global bihari bureau