The Israeli military announced on Saturday that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a strike on Beirut. In a post on X, Israel Defense Forces wrote,"Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world."
"Hassan Nasrallah is dead," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani announced on X. Military spokesman Captain David Avraham also confirmed to AFP that the Hezbollah chief had been "eliminated" following strikes Friday on the Lebanese capital.
News agency AFP reported on the development citing a source close to Lebanon's Hezbollah group that contact had been lost since last evening with chief Hassan Nasrallah, after Israel said it had "eliminated" him in a strike on the group's southern Beirut bastion.
"Contact with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been lost since Friday evening," said the source, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He did not confirm whether Nasrallah had been killed. Meanwhile, Israel army chief vows to 'reach' anyone who threatens Israel after Nasrallah reported killed.
"This is not the end of our toolbox. The message is simple, anyone who threatens the citizens of Israel -- we will know how to reach them," Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said in a statement.
Halevi said the strike that killed Nasrallah had been "prepared for a long time".
"This attack was prepared for a long time, executed at the right moment with great precision, and now we are moving forward with careful preparation for the next steps," he said.
"Ultimately, I want to emphasise again that we are at full readiness in all of our fronts. All forces, including coordination with other organisations, must ensure very good synchronization and readiness."
Friday's attack on Hezbollah's command centre, followed by further airstrikes on Saturday, have escalated the conflict between Israel and the heavily armed group, adding to concerns the region could be sucked into a broader war.
Adraee's statement, posted in Arabic, said Israel had struck Hezbollah's underground headquarters while its leadership were "coordinating terrorist activities against the citizens of Israel".
An Israeli military statement said the strikes also killed Ali Karake, who the statement identified as commander of Hezbollah's southern front, and an unspecified number of other Hezbollah commanders.
"The strike was conducted while Hezbollah's senior chain of command were operating from the headquarters and advancing terrorist activities against the citizens of the State of Israel," the statement said.
"During Hassan Nasrallah's 32-year reign as the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, he was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, and the planning and execution of thousands of terrorist activities," the statement said.
"He was responsible for directing and executing terrorist attacks around the world in which civilians of various nationalities were murdered. Nasrallah was the central decision-maker and the strategic leader of the organisation."
*With Agency Inputs
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