Israel confirms Hezbollah chief killed in Beirut strikes

Israel has confirmed the killing of top Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the airstrikes carried out by the Israeli military in Beirut.

IMAGE: Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon, on September 28, 2024. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said, 'Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorise the world.'

The IDF said that alongside Nasrallah, the commander of Hezbollah's so-called Southern Front, Ali Karaki, was also killed, along with other commanders, Times of Israel reported.

Nasrallah was targeted on Friday at Hezbollah's main headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh.

The headquarters is underground, beneath residential buildings in the Dahiyeh, the IDF says.

"The strike was carried out while the top brass of Hezbollah were at their headquarters and engaged in coordinating terror activities against the citizens of the State of Israel," the Israeli military said.

The IDF also said that dozens of anti-ship missiles stored by Hezbollah under buildings in the Lebanese capital of Beirut were also destroyed in Israeli airstrikes overnight.

Hezbollah was known by the IDF to be in possession of the Chinese C-704 and C802 missiles, as well as the Iranian Ghader, which have ranges of up to around 200 kilometres, as reported by Times of Israel.

Following the announcement of Nasrallah's killing, IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi said that Israel will reach anyone who threatens the country and its citizens.

"The is not the end of the tools in the toolbox. The message is simple, to anyone who threatens the citizens of the State of Israel, we will know how to get to them," he says.

Israel on Friday carried out a precision strike against Hezbollah's central headquarters, located beneath residential buildings in Beirut's Dahieh.

Notably, the strikes were carried out on the same day, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a stern warning to Iran and the 'proxies of Tehran', there is 'no place' in Iran, where the 'long arms' of Israel cannot reach, while adding that it is true for the 'entire Middle East'.

During his address at the 79th United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu stated that the war with Hamas can end if the latter lays arms and releases the hostages, while asserting that Israel will continue its fight until it achieves 'total victory'.

Israel has continued striking Hezbollah in Lebanon to counter the 'threats', the Iran-backed group poses to Israel with repeated strikes in northern Israel.

As the conflict heads towards escalation, all major countries have called for a ceasefire and hostage deal, while also stressing for a two-state solution as a means to achieve durable and sustainable peace in the region.