Israeli Airstrike on Hezbollah Headquarters: Nasrallah and Senior Leaders Killed in Beirut

Israeli Airstrike on Hezbollah Headquarters

Israeli troops bombed Hezbollah headquarters in Lebanon, and Hezbollah leader Nasrallah and other leaders were almost wiped out

WASHINGTON — The recent escalation in hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel has reached a critical point following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah due to a significant Israeli airstrike in Beirut, which also killed several senior leaders, including Ali Karaki and Abbas Nirfoshan. In retaliation, Hezbollah has vowed to continue its fight against Israel, particularly in support of Gaza and Palestine.

The airstrike, described as the largest against Hezbollah in Beirut since the recent conflict began, caused extensive destruction and led to widespread panic and displacement among residents. As Hezbollah launched rockets into Israeli territory, Israel’s air defense systems intercepted several, avoiding casualties but raising concerns about a broader regional conflict involving Iran and the United States. The situation remains tense, with significant implications for regional stability.

Key Concepts

• Hezbollah confirmed the death of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, following an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
• The airstrike targeted Hezbollah’s headquarters and resulted in the deaths of several senior leaders, including Ali Karaki.
• Hezbollah vowed to continue its fight against Israel in support of Gaza and Palestine after Nasrallah’s death.
• Nasrallah was a key figure in expanding Iran’s influence in the region for 32 years.
• The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the airstrike was aimed at a meeting of Hezbollah’s top brass in an underground facility.
• An Israeli airstrike in Dahiyya also killed Abbas Nirfoshan, deputy commander of the Quds Force.
• The operation was described as a response to ongoing terrorist planning by Hezbollah against Israel.
• The airstrike caused significant destruction in Dahiyya, prompting residents to flee the area.
• Following the escalation, Hezbollah launched rockets into Israeli territory, triggering air defense sirens.
• The situation remains tense, with fears of a broader conflict involving Iran and the United States.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah issued a statement on Saturday (September 28) confirming that its top leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed in a large-scale Israeli air strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut the previous evening.

The statement also said Hezbollah would continue to fight Israel “in support of Gaza and Palestine and in defense of Lebanon and its steadfast and dignified people.”

Nasrallah has been the leader of Hezbollah for 32 years and is a highly respected figure in the so-called “resistance axis” supported by Iran. He has greatly contributed to expanding Iran’s influence in the Middle East. Reuters said that Nasrallah’s death is not only a heavy blow to Hezbollah but also a major setback for Iran.

After Hezbollah issued the statement, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV began broadcasting the Koran.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement earlier on Saturday saying that Israeli Air Force fighter jets launched a targeted strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday, and Nasrallah and several senior Hezbollah leaders and military commanders were killed in the attack.

The Israeli military said that when the Israeli Air Force launched an airstrike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in a residential building in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Hezbollah’s top brass was meeting in its underground headquarters. The airstrike killed not only Nasrallah but also Ali Karaki, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, and several other Hezbollah commanders.

The latest news shows that in the air strike launched by Israel, Abbas Nirfoshan, deputy commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and commander of the Lebanese branch of the Quds Force, was also killed.

“The airstrike was launched while the Hezbollah senior command chain was operating from its headquarters and planning terrorist acts against citizens of the State of Israel,” the Israeli military statement said.

Israel’s airstrike on Dahiyya on Friday was the largest airstrike launched against Hezbollah targets in Beirut during frequent exchanges of fire with Hezbollah since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year.

Reuters reported that the Israeli airstrike shook the entire Beirut. A Lebanese security official told Reuters that the Israeli army quickly dropped a series of powerful bombs, resulting in a crater at least 20 meters deep on the ground.

Israeli airstrikes continued on Saturday in Dahiyya and other parts of Lebanon, with huge explosions and flames lighting up the night sky. In the early morning of Saturday, the airstrikes continued, and thick smoke billowed over the city.

Reuters reported that residents of Dahiyeh fled quickly, with many seeking shelter in central Beirut or other areas.

“Yesterday’s attack was unbelievable. We started to flee and then returned home. Unexpectedly, the bombing started again and became more and more intense, so we ran here and waited for Netanyahu to stop the bombing,” a resident named Dalal Daher told Reuters in Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square.

Hezbollah also continued to fire rockets across the border into Israel, causing air defense sirens to sound in Israel and residents to rush to air-raid shelters. Israel’s air defense system intercepted some of the rockets, and there were no reports of casualties.

Reuters pointed out that the escalation of the aerial exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified concerns about a full-scale conflict in the Middle East, especially concerns that Hezbollah’s supporter Iran, and Israel’s supporter the United States will be directly drawn into the war.