The Hezbollah has confirmed the killing of its chief Hassan Nasrallah by Israeli military in a massive air attack on a densely populated area in the south of Beirut on Friday.
"Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, has joined his great, immortal martyr comrades whom he led for about 30 years," the group said in a statement.
The statement confirmed he was killed with other group members "following the treacherous Zionist strike on the southern suburbs" of Beirut.
Iran's foreign ministry in a statement said that Hassan Nasrallah's path will continue despite his killing.
"The glorious path of the leader of the resistance, Hassan Nasrallah, will continue and his sacred goal will be realised in the liberation of Quds (Jerusalem), God willing," said foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani in a post on social media X mourning his death.
Hamas in its statement condoling the death of Nasrallah said that his assassination will only "increase the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine in determination and resolve.”
“History has proven that the resistance... whenever its leaders die as martyrs, will be succeeded on the same path by a generation of leaders who are more valiant, stronger and more determined to continue the confrontation,” the Hamas statement said.
Nasrallah, who has led Hezbollah for more than three decades, was killed in massive airstrikes that flattened six residential buildings in Dahieh, south of Beirut, killing at least six people and injuring many. The death toll is likely to rise significantly as teams comb through the rubble of the six buildings. It was the biggest blast to hit the Lebanese capital in the past year.
The Israeli military claimed that it was a precise airstrike on the Hezbollah headquarters. Israel also launched a series of strikes on other areas of the southern suburbs following the initial blast.
Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front, and additional Hezbollah commanders were killed in the airstrike, the Isrtaeli military said.
In a brief statement released hours after IDF claimed it had killed Nasrallah, Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that said that Israel’s military offensives in Gaza, Lebanon or elsewhere “cannot affect or topple the strong structure of the resistance."
Without mentioning Nasrallah or claims regrading his death, Khomeini came down heavily on Israel for bombing residential buildings in Beirut. He said the “massacre of the defenseless people in Lebanon,” had “exposed the brutal nature” of Israel and underscored the “shortsightedness and foolish policy” of its leaders.
At least 720 people, including children have been killed in Lebanon as Israel intensified its bombing in the territory since Monday.
According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, 11 doctors, nurses and paramedics were killed and 10 others were wounded in Israeli army attacks on civil defence centres and a medical clinic in Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it was mobilizing additional reserve soldiers as tensions escalate with Lebanon. The military said Saturday morning it was activating three battalions of reserve soldiers, after earlier sending two brigades to northern Israel earlier in the week to train for a possible ground invasion.
