Iran-allied militant group Hezbollah has confirmed in a statement that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed, confirming the Israeli military's earlier claim that it had killed him in a series of strikes.

"Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah, has joined his great, immortal martyr comrades whom he led for about 30 years," Hezbollah said in a statement on September 28.

Hezbollah, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, vowed to continue its fight against Israel despite the death of its leader.

Earlier on September 28, Israel's military said that it killed Nasrallah in a series of strikes in Beirut a day earlier.

The Arabic spokesman of the Israeli Defense Forces, Avichay Adraee, said in a statement on X earlier that Nasrallah, Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah's southern front, and a number of other commanders of this group were killed.

"The message is clear: We will reach everyone who threatens the citizens of Israel in the north, in the south, and on more distant fronts."

The Israeli Defense Force also posted a message on X, saying, "Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world."

In the statement announcing Nasrallah's death, Hezbollah also offered its condolences to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an open admission of the group's close ties with Tehran.

Khamenei earlier on September 28 issued a statement condemning what he said was an Israeli "massacre" in Lebanon, but did not mention Nasrallah's fate.

"The massacre of the defenseless people in Lebanon once again revealed the ferocity of the Zionist rabid dog to everyone, and proved the short-sighted and stupid policy of the leaders of the usurping regime," Khamenei said.

However, Reuters quoted sources as saying Khamenei had been transferred to a secure location, with heightened security measures in place.

Israeli media also reported on September 28 that Nasrallah's daughter, Zainab Nasrallah, had been killed in the strikes. Hezbollah has not confirmed the report. Nasrallah's son, Hadi, was killed in fighting against Israeli troops in 1997.

The Israeli military initially said on September 27 that the series of strikes had targeted Hezbollah's "central headquarters" located under residential buildings in Beirut without officially mentioning Nasrallah by name.

Amateur video showed massive blasts striking the area.

Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah's political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Hezbollah was established some 40 years ago with the aid of Iran, and Nasrallah joined the newly formed group in 1982. He oversaw it becoming one of the Middle East's most powerful paramilitary forces.

Led by Nasrallah, Hezbollah has developed close ties with other Iranian proxies and Tehran-backed armed groups, helping to train and arm their fighters.

Heiko Wimmen, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told RFE/RL that Israel's repeated blows, while not being able to annihilate Hezbollah completely, have degraded it to a large extent.

He said the latest strikes would press the group to show it can still react forcefully.

"It is obviously yet another dramatic blow. Many dramatic blows can add up to [make] a fundamental one. In general, Hamas is too much institutionalized to be decapitated, but [the Israelis] have wiped out so many of the cadres that something will give eventually. And then there is the lack to their credibility. If today is not enough for them to throw at Israel all they have, then the impression deepens that they just can't do it."

Analyst Norman Roule of the Washington-based National Security Institute said Israel has weakened Hezbollah to the point where the Lebanese government could actually expunge the group.

"Israel's Defense Forces have eradicated an entire generation of Hezbollah leadership who take with them a collective pool of experience that is collectively irreplaceable.... In a perfect world, the Lebanese government would use this moment to assert its authority and rid Lebanon of this armed group. [However], it is too early to say whether this will happen," Roule told RFE/RL.

Nasrallah's death is a huge embarrassment for Iran's leadership as well, Berlin-based analyst Ali Fathollah-nejad told RFE/RL.

"It would constitute the most heavy blow to Tehran's regional standing after the U.S. drone killing of General Qassem Soleimani. Nasrallah, Soleimani, and Khamenei -- Iran's supreme leader -- constituted the nucleus of Iran's expansive regional ambitions," Fathollah-nejad told RFE/RL before the death was confirmed.

Early on September 28, Israel's military launched a fresh round of strikes against what it said were Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut and in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, claiming that Hezbollah had stored weapons at the sites, after urging residents to evacuate them.

It also reported strikes in the ancient city of Tyre early on September 28.

Hezbollah-run Al-Manar TV reported at least four buildings were destroyed in the strikes and that there were heavy casualties. The Lebanese Health Ministry said six people were killed and more than 90 were injured.

Video posted online indicated large areas of devastation.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said the United States did not have advance warning of the Israeli strike.

"The United States was not involved in this operation and we had no advanced warning," Singh told reporters.

On September 27, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned at the United Nations that actions against Hezbollah would not stop.

During his address to the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu gave arch-foe Iran a stark warning, saying there is "no place in Iran" that Israel can't reach if the Islamic republic continues to try and strike Israel.

He also said that “we’ll continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are met."

Netanyahu said the UN Security Council should reimpose sanctions on Tehran to ensure it doesn't get nuclear weapons, adding Israel will do "everything in its power" to prevent such a scenario.

"We're defending ourselves, but we're also defending you against a common enemy that through violence and terror seeks to destroy our way of life," he said in reference to Iran.

Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

BDST: 1919 HRS, SEPT 28, 2024
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