Ari Rabinovitch and Maya Gebeily
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hezbollah leader Saeed Hassan Nasrallah, an Iran-backed group, confirmed his death on Saturday after Israeli forces said they had eliminated him in an airstrike in Beirut.
His death was a crushing blow to Hezbollah, which was reeling from heavy Israeli attacks. It is also a major blow to Iran, eliminating an influential ally that helped make Hezbollah the core of Tehran’s group of allies in the Arab world.
Hezbollah said in a statement that it would continue its fight against Israel “to support Gaza and Palestine and to defend Lebanon and its steadfast and honorable people.”
It did not say how Nasrallah was killed.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV began broadcasting verses from the Koran after his death was announced.
The Israeli military previously said Nasrallah was eliminated in a “targeted attack” on Friday from his underground headquarters in a residential building in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut.
He was reportedly killed along with another top Hezbollah leader, Ali Karaki, and other commanders.
“This attack was carried out while Hezbollah’s senior command structure was operating from its headquarters and pursuing terrorist activities against Israeli citizens.”
Nasrallah’s death is by far the biggest blow to Hezbollah in the past two weeks, when it has carried out deadly attacks on thousands of wireless communications devices used by Hezbollah members. Israel has also stepped up airstrikes, killing several commanders and targeting areas across Lebanon.
Friday’s airstrike on Dahiyeh shook Beirut. A security source in Lebanon said the attack resulted in massive, powerful explosions in quick succession and left a crater at least 20 meters (65 feet) deep.
Additional airstrikes followed on Saturday against Dahiyeh and other parts of Lebanon. Huge explosions lit up the night sky, and more attacks struck the area in the morning. Smoke rose over the city.
Hezbollah also continued firing rockets across the border, setting off sirens and forcing residents to seek shelter inside Israel. Israeli missile defenses stopped some of them, and there were no immediate reports of injuries.
The escalation has raised concerns that the conflict could spiral out of control, attracting Hezbollah’s main backer, Iran, as well as the United States.
Residents fled Dahiyeh and sought refuge in downtown Beirut and other parts of the city.
“Yesterday’s attacks were unbelievable. We had previously run away and returned home, but the bombings got worse and worse. So we came here waiting for Netanyahu to stop the bombings,” Dalal Da said, speaking near the Beirut Martyrs’ Cemetery. Dalal Daher said: The square refers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
