Hezbollah leader Nasrallah killed in Israeli strike on Beirut

The Israeli military announced on Saturday that it had killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on the group's central headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut a day earlier. Hezbollah later confirmed the death of Nasrallah, who has led the militant group for 32 years.

During his decades of leadership, Nasrallah has transformed Hezbollah into a formidable regional force that has projected Tehran's influence across the Middle East. His death would mark a significant blow not only to Hezbollah but also to Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards founded the group in 1982. 

In addition to Nasrallah, Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front, and other senior commanders were killed in the attack, the Israeli military said. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that six people were killed and 91 injured in the strikes on Friday, which destroyed six apartment buildings.

"Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world," the Israeli military said. According to the statement, Israel had struck Hezbollah's underground headquarters while its leadership was "coordinating terrorist activities against the citizens of Israel."

Hezbollah said in a statement that it would continue its battle against Israel "in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defence of Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people." It did not say how Nasrallah was killed.

Further strikes amid escalation

Following Friday's high-profile attack, Israel launched another wave of airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and other regions of Lebanon on Saturday. The Israeli military announced it had mobilized three reserve battalions to bolster its Central Command defense amid its escalating conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The move to activate three battalions of reserve soldiers follows earlier deployments of two brigades to northern Israel earlier in the week to prepare for a potential ground invasion. As part of its military strategy, the Israeli military carried out several strikes targeting southern Beirut and eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah, in response, launched dozens of projectiles across northern and central Israel, as well as the Israel-occupied West Bank.

In Beirut's southern suburbs, smoke rose over the deserted streets after the area was pummeled overnight by heavy Israeli bombardment. Shelters set up in the city center for displaced residents quickly filled up. Many families slept in public squares, beaches, or their cars, while hundreds of people made their way on foot to the mountains above the capital, carrying whatever they could manage.

Hezbollah launches projectiles toward Israel

Hezbollah retaliated on Saturday morning, launching over two dozen projectiles toward Israel and triggering sirens in more than 100 cities and towns across the country and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. 

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims on Saturday "to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the ... wicked regime (of Israel)."

Khamenei, in a statement after the Israeli army said it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, said, "The fate of this region will be determined by the forces of resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront," state media reported.

While exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah have taken place since October 8, primarily near the border area, the recent hostilities have targeted much deeper into both countries.

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