Israel's military said Saturday that it killed Hassan Nasrallah, the overall leader of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, in a Friday airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon.
The militant group confirmed Nasrallah's death, saying its longtime leader "has joined his fellow martyrs."
The afternoon strike, carried out by fighter jets, targeted the group's "central headquarters," which were "embedded under a residential building" in Beirut's southern suburbs, according to the Israel Defense Forces. That region of the city has long been a stronghold of the US-designated terror group.
Nasrallah, who only gave speeches via video because of his fear of assassination, led the terrorist group for 30 years with fiery rhetoric. He crystallized its threats to destroy Israel and the US presence in Lebanon, and his death now leaves a void of leadership in the strongest paramilitary force in the Middle East.
In a separate statement Saturday, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said Nasrallah's killing demonstrated "anyone who threatens the citizens of Israel — we will know how to reach them."
