The General Secretary of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, was liquidated in an airstrike on the organization’s headquarters in Beirut, the Israeli Defense Forces announced.
“Yesterday, the IDF killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the terrorist organization Hezbollah and one of its founders, as well as Ali Karaki, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, and other commanders,” the statement reads.
The day before, a series of about ten explosions rocked Beirut. Among other things, the Israeli Air Force carried out a precise airstrike on Hezbollah’s main headquarters, located under residential buildings in the Dahia district.
According to an Israeli official, Tel Aviv warned the US about the attack a few minutes before the strikes. However, President Joe Biden stated that Washington did not know about the operation and did not participate in it.
The situation on the Lebanon-Israel border has remained tense since the start of military actions in the Gaza Strip in October last year. According to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, around 100,000 people were forced to leave their homes in southern Lebanon due to shelling. Tel Aviv reported that a similar situation affected around 80,000 residents in northern Israel.
The situation escalated after simultaneous explosions of communication devices in different parts of Lebanon on September 17 and 18. As reported by the media, these were mainly used by Hezbollah members.
According to official data, 37 people died, and over three thousand were injured. Lebanese authorities blamed Israel for the incident. Tel Aviv neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
Before that, at the end of July, the IDF struck a residential building in the Harat Hreik district of Beirut. Seven people died, including a high-ranking Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukra.
In August, Nasrallah stated that Israel had crossed all red lines and would receive a response. In Tel Aviv, it was warned that any aggressive actions would lead to massive destructive consequences for Lebanon.
Since the morning of September 23, Israeli aviation has been carrying out massive strikes on settlements in southern and eastern Lebanon. The IDF General Staff announced the start of the “Northern Arrows” operation.
Hezbollah fighters, in turn, launched dozens of rockets at northern Israel. Official Beirut has already called on the UN to intervene and stop Tel Aviv’s aggression. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry’s Emergency Services Center, about 700 people died, and over 1,500 were injured in Israeli bombings in just four days.
