UPDATE
Sep 28, 2024 6:30 AM CDT
Hezbollah has now confirmed what Israel reported earlier on Saturday: The nation's military has killed Hassan Nasrallah, its leader for three decades, during heavy airstrikes overnight in the Beirut area, per the AP. Nasrallah, 64, "has joined his fellow martyrs," according to a statement from the group. The Israeli Defense Forces posted a tweet on Saturday morning, proclaiming, "Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world." Hezbollah, for its part, promises to "continue the holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine." More on Nasrallah's life here.
Sep 28, 2024 6:30 AM CDT
Smoke rose from Beirut's southern suburbs on Saturday morning and the streets were empty after the area was pummeled overnight by heavy Israeli airstrikes that that country's military said killed multiple Hezbollah commanders, including leader Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah didn't immediately confirm Israel's claim on Nasrallah, who has led Hezbollah for three decades, per the AP. Attacks on Hezbollah targets by fighter jets on Friday continued into the early hours Saturday after the army said it told residents to evacuate three buildings it was targeting. Hours before the strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, vowing that Israel's campaign against Hezbollah would continue, further dimming hopes for an internationally backed ceasefire. Netanyahu abruptly cut his US visit short and returned to Israel.
Israel's military says it expects Hezbollah to retaliate for the death of Nasrallah and is on "high readiness." Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said much of Hezbollah's arsenal remains intact despite intense Israeli strikes over the past week, and that Israel will continue to target the group. "This isn't a threat that has gone away," he said. Shoshani said it is "safe to assume" that Hezbollah will retaliate. But he said Israel hopes the blow "will change Hezbollah's actions" and alter the course of the war. Shoshani said the airstrike targeting Nasrallah was based on years of tracking him, along with "real-time intelligence." He said Israel confirmed the death through various types of intelligence, though he declined to elaborate. Meanwhile, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has recommended that airlines not operate in Lebanese or Israeli airspace.
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More than 720 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict escalated Monday, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The United Nations says the number of those displaced by the conflict from southern Lebanon has more than doubled, with more than 211,000 people now displaced. At least 20 primary health-care centers have shut down in hard-hit areas of Lebanon, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas after it stormed into Israel, sparking the Israel-Hamas war. Top Israeli officials have threatened to repeat the destruction of Gaza in Lebanon if the Hezbollah fire continues, raising fears that Israel's actions in Gaza since Oct. 7 would be repeated in Lebanon. More here.
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