Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut, the Israeli military confirmed today. Communication with the 64-year-old Nasrallah was lost late Friday night, according to a source close to Hezbollah, as reported by AFP.
“Hassan Nasrallah is dead,” stated Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani on social media platform X.
The strike targeted multiple Hezbollah sites in eastern and southern Lebanon, following a barrage of rockets fired by the group into northern Israel. Overnight, Israeli jets pounded Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut, destroying several residential buildings.
“Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world,” the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
The airstrikes came just hours after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching rockets into northern Israel, including an attack on the Kibbutz Kabri using Fadi-1 rockets. Hezbollah justified the rocket fire as a response to what they termed Israeli “barbaric” aggression.
Nasrallah was a powerful figure in Lebanon, particularly among the Shiite community, and was regarded as the key player in deciding war or peace in the region.
There are unconfirmed reports that his daughter, Zainab, was also killed in the airstrikes. Israel’s Channel 12 claimed she died in one of the attacks on Hezbollah’s southern Beirut strongholds, but Hezbollah and Lebanese media have yet to confirm this.
Nasrallah had previously been rumored dead in 2006 during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, but resurfaced unhurt shortly afterward. This time, however, Israeli forces also reported the death of Ali Karake, Hezbollah’s southern front commander, along with several other Hezbollah members.
An Israeli statement attributed thousands of terrorist activities and attacks to Nasrallah, stating, “During Hassan Nasrallah’s 32-year reign as Secretary-General of Hezbollah, he was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, and the planning and execution of terrorist activities worldwide.”
Air raid sirens blared across northern Israel, signaling new rocket threats from Lebanon. According to military reports, two surface-to-surface missiles were launched, one intercepted while the other landed in an open area.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s health ministry ordered the evacuation of hospitals in Beirut’s southern suburbs, preparing for further escalation. Unaffected hospitals were asked to cease admitting non-emergency patients to accommodate those being relocated from the conflict zones.
The ongoing Israeli bombing campaign has resulted in over 700 Lebanese deaths and displaced around 118,000 people, according to official sources.