Israeli Prime Minister says “challenging days lie ahead” and promises to restore “balance in the Middle East”
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said this Saturday (September 28, 2024) that the country’s work “It’s not finished yet.” He made the statement after confirming the death of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, during offensives in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, on Friday (September 27, 2024).
In a televised speechNetanyahu stated that Nasrallah’s death is “crucial” to restore the “balance of power in the Middle East” and that “challenging days are ahead”. He described the leader of the extremist group as the “main driver of Iran’s axis of evil” and said his death will allow progress in the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
“If anyone rises up to kill you, kill him first […] We have settled accounts with someone who was responsible for the murders of countless Israelis and many citizens of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of French people,” said the premier. “We are determined to continue hitting our enemies”.
The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) confirmed in the early hours of this Saturday (September 28) the death of Hasan Nasrallah.
In addition to him, Israel stated that other leaders of the extremist group died in the offensive carried out on Friday (September 27). Among them, Muhammad Ali Ismail, commander of the Hezbollah Missile Unit in southern Lebanon, and his deputy, Hussein Ahmad Ismail.
In statementthe IDF said that after receiving information from the country’s intelligence, the military “conducted a targeted attack on the central headquarters of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which was located underground, embedded in a residential building in the Dahieh area of Beirut”.
Israel continues its offensive against targets in Lebanon this Saturday (September 28). Node Telegramthe military claimed to have attacked more than 140 locations linked to the extremist group on Friday night (September 27).
According to the IDF, these targets include buildings in which weapons were stored, weapons production facilities and the group’s infrastructure sites, “some built under residential buildings in the Beirut area”.
TENSION BETWEEN LEBANON AND ISRAEL
Lebanon and Israel are going through a moment of great tension in their relations. Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah have been fighting on the border since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, after an attack by Hamas, an ally of the extremist group.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified after 2 attacks on communication devices used by the extremist group. Lebanon accuses the Jewish country, which denies responsibility. The explosions of pagers and walkie talkies in mid-September they left at least 32 dead and more than 3,000 injured.
Tension escalated even further after Israel launched a major air strike last Monday (September 23) and caused an evacuation of Lebanese people. Another Israeli attack on Tuesday (September 24) raised the death toll to 558. Israel argues that the operations target Hezbollah leaders.
Since then, the IDF has been carrying out daily attacks on locations that, according to the military, are linked to the extremist group Hezbollah. These are the most intense air attacks in almost a year of conflict in the region.
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