Lebanon | Israel says it has killed the top leader of Hezbollah – even the attempt to kill Nasrallah was considered a “turning point in the war”

of Israel The armed forces said on Saturday that they had killed the leader of the extremist organization Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah was killed in an attack on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday. The news agency Reuters and AFP report on the matter, among others.

“Hassan Nasrallah is dead,” a spokesman for the armed forces Nadav Shoshani told message service in X on Saturday morning.

So far, Hezbollah has not officially commented on Nasrallah’s fate.

Nasrallah has been the most important leader of Hezbollah. A source close to Hezbollah previously described to the Washington Post that even an attempt to kill him should be seen as a “turning point in the war” and the beginning of a major war.

The BBC filmed the information Nasrallah’s death as a “massive escalation and significant provocation for Iran”.

In this news, we gather what is known about the situation.

An almost messianic figure for his followers

Nasrallah has been one of the most central figures in Hezbollah’s leadership. He was described as “the beating heart of Hezbollah” by a professor Fawaz Gerges For The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Gerges works at the London School of Economics as a researcher of Middle East and international relations.

Hezbollah operates in Lebanonbut strongly supported by Iran. For example, the United States classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. The EU defines only the military wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Hezbollah has carried out numerous rocket attacks on Israel. Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has saidthat Israel is at war with Hezbollah.

Nasrallah has been responsible for hundreds of deaths of Americans and Israelis, they say The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and The New York Times.

The 64-year-old Nasrallah has been in the leadership of Hezbollah for more than 30 years. He has expanded Hezbollah from an armed group into a political party with influence in the Lebanese parliament.

Hezbollah represents the Shiite branch of Islam, as does the Iranian leadership. To his tens of thousands of loyal followers, Nasrallah was an almost messianic figure, the WSJ says.

Iran’s supreme leader transferred to safety

Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been moved to a “safe place”, according to the sources of the news agency Reuters.

According to the sources, Iran is in ongoing discussions with Hezbollah and other allies to determine the “next step” after Israel announced it had killed Nasrallah.

Khamenei called on Muslims on Saturday to stand by the Lebanese people and Hezbollah by all possible means.

Nasrallah was killed in a suburb of Beirut, residential buildings collapsed

According to Israel, Nasrallah was killed in an airstrike in Dahieh, a suburb of Beirut, on Friday, Reuters reports. The headquarters of Hezbollah is located in the area.

According to the Israeli armed forces, a Hezbollah commander was also killed in the attack Ali Karakiwho has led the organization’s battles near the borders of Lebanon and Israel. Karaki was Hezbollah’s highest-ranking commander.

Israeli attacks have also hit civilians.

In Friday’s attacks, four to six residential buildings completely collapsed, says Lebanon’s health minister Firass Abiad According to WP.

The attacks continued on Saturday, the EU recommends airlines to avoid the airspace of Israel and Lebanon

Early Saturday morning, Israel carried out new strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and said it had also begun strikes in the Bekaa Valley. Witnesses who spoke to Reuters said the attacks continued on Saturday afternoon.

Hezbollah responded by carrying out missile strikes on Israel on Saturday.

The European Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA have recommended airlines to avoid the airspace of Israel and Lebanon for a month.

Israel: Most of Hezbollah’s senior leaders have now been killed

The Israeli military said on Saturday that most of Hezbollah’s high-ranking leaders have now been killed. Israel is in recent weeks made numerous strikeswhere they have been killed.

Earlier in September, dozens of people were killed and thousands wounded in Lebanon when pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded. The Israeli intelligence service is believed to be behind the explosions. These explosions have also weakened Hezbollah.

The WSJ wrote on Friday that Hezbollah’s losses have been so great that it is not clear who could replace Nasrallah.

EU’s Borrell: “No one can stop Netanyahu”

The cycle of revenge in the Middle East has been going on for months.

Earlier this week, the United States made a proposal for a cease-fire at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Yet just a little before Friday’s attacks on Beirut, Netanyahu swore at the UN General Assemblythat Israel would continue military operations in Lebanon.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told WP on Friday that Israel considered eliminating the Hezbollah leadership critical and was critical of U.S. hopes for a cease-fire.

EU foreign policy director Josep Borrell commented on the Israeli attacks on Friday, saying according to AFP that “no one can stop Netanyahu”, who seems determined to crush the military factions in Lebanon and Gaza.