Hamas Leader Killed After Two Months
Israeli Forces Continue Attacks
Iran Condemns Nasrallah Killing
On the 28th (local time), the Israeli military announced that it had eliminated Hassan Nasrallah (64), the leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. This comes two months after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the top political leader of the Palestinian militant faction Hamas, in July, marking the successive assassinations of the heads of Hamas and Hezbollah by Israel.
Amid focused attention on Iran's level of response, tensions in the Middle East are escalating as Iran's Supreme Leader strongly condemned the attack while Israel remains determined to continue its offensive, raising the risk of further escalation. The impact of the leadership vacuum caused by the explosion that killed Hezbollah's leader on future clashes between Israel and Hezbollah is also drawing attention.
According to foreign media including AP, the Israeli military conducted a precision airstrike the previous day on Dahieh, southern Beirut, Lebanon, where a Hezbollah command meeting was held. The Israeli military claimed that Nasrallah was "responsible for killing numerous Israeli civilians and soldiers and planning and executing thousands of terrorist attacks." They also named the operation 'New Order' and stated that they had been tracking Nasrallah in real time for several years.
Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, explained, "This attack was prepared for a very long time and executed at the precise moment," adding, "It sends a message that anyone threatening Israeli citizens will be found."
Hezbollah officially announced Nasrallah's death on the same day. They declared that they would continue to fight against Israel. An anonymous Hezbollah source told AFP that contact with Nasrallah had been lost since the previous evening.
The Israeli military added that some members of Hezbollah's command, including Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah's southern front, were also killed in the airstrike. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that six people died and 91 were injured.
Nasrallah had led Hezbollah for 32 years since 1992 and had actively supported Hamas since the outbreak of the war between Hamas and Israel in October last year.
The Israeli military stated that it would continue military operations against Hezbollah even after Nasrallah's elimination. Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said, "Hezbollah still possesses tens of thousands of rockets and is highly likely to attack Israel," adding, "There is still a long way to go."
Since the previous night, the Israeli military said it had struck more than 140 targets, including Hezbollah missile launchers aimed at Israeli civilian facilities, weapons depots, and weapons production facilities. They also conducted airstrikes in southern Beirut and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon that morning. After Israel announced Nasrallah's death, Hezbollah fired about 20 missiles toward the West Bank.
Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei strongly condemned Israel's elimination of Nasrallah. He stated, "The massacre of defenseless people in Lebanon once again revealed to all the ferocity of the Zionist (Israel) hounds and proved the shortsighted and foolish policies of the usurping regime's leaders." He added, "The fate of this region will be decided by the resistance forces led by Hezbollah on the front lines," and "All resistance forces in the region will stand side by side to support Hezbollah."
The Israeli military also announced that it had eliminated Hamas commander Ahmed Muhammad Fahd in Syria. Fahd was responsible for rocket attacks targeting the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and Israel explained that he was eliminated while planning another terrorist attack.
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