Hezbollah, the Islamist terrorist organization in Lebanon, officially announced on Saturday that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in a large airstrike carried out by Israel on the group’s base in Beirut on Friday. Earlier today, the Israel Army reported that it had eliminated the influential 64-year-old Islamist leader in an operation named ‘Operation New Order’.
In a statement announcing the death, the Iran-backed outfit said Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs”. Subsequently, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV began airing Quran verses mourning the death of Nasrallah, news agency Reuters reported.
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‘Hezbollah has recognized Nasrallah’s body’: The New York Times
Officials told The New York Times that Hezbollah had recognized Nasrallah’s body and another top commander, Ali Karaki, on Saturday morning.
The passing of the longstanding head deals a severe setback to Hezbollah, which has been engaged in military clashes with Israel since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Following the announcement of Nasrallah’s passing, the organization declared its intention to persist in its fight against Israel to support Gaza and Palestine, as well as to defend Lebanon and its strong and honorable inhabitants.
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Nasrallah was pivotal in establishing the outfit as a political-militant group
Nasrallah played a crucial role in transforming Hezbollah into a political-militant force in the region during his over thirty years of leadership. Israel is optimistic about weakening the group’s power structure and pushing them further from its borders now that he has been eliminated.