Grapevine

Hezbollah confirms leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Israeli airstrike

Hezbollah confirmed that its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed on Friday in an Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. A statement from Hezbollah on Saturday said Nasrallah "has joined his great immortal martyr comrades." The confirmation came just a few hours after the Israeli army announced the killing of Nasrallah, after carrying out a large-scale attack on Lebanon the day before. "Hassan Nasrallah is dead," Israeli army spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said via social media platform X earlier on Saturday. Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) said Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed militant group for more than three decades, was killed on Friday as fighter jets conducted what it described as a "targeted strike" on Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut. Among other Hezbollah commanders, the IDF said Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah's southern front, was also killed in the strike.

'A big void'

Nasrallah, 64, is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the Middle East and has played a key role in transforming Hezbollah into a major military and political force. He has led the Lebanon-based group since 1992, taking the reins after Israel assassinated the group's previous leader, Abbas al-Musawi.