Nasrallah’s Death Raises Fears in Lebanon-Israel Conflict \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Hezbollah confirmed the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. The assassination has sent shockwaves through Lebanon and the broader Middle East, leading to further escalation and widespread mourning. Israeli officials declared the strike crucial for national security, while Iran vowed retaliation.
Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah Killed by Israeli Airstrike: Quick Looks
- Hezbollah confirmed leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
- Nasrallah, a key figure in Hezbollah for over 30 years, was targeted during a meeting.
- The assassination led to widespread mourning and gunfire across Lebanon.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu justified Nasrallah’s killing as essential for Israeli security.
- Hezbollah vowed continued resistance and launched retaliatory strikes against Israel.
- Iran called Nasrallah “the flag-bearer of resistance,” declaring five days of mourning.
- Israeli military warned Lebanese citizens to avoid Hezbollah facilities amid further strikes.
- Thousands displaced as the Israel-Hezbollah conflict escalates, with ongoing airstrikes and evacuations.
Deep Look:
Lebanon’s Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader and founding member Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in a southern suburb of Beirut. The assassination of Nasrallah, a dominant figure in Lebanon’s political and militant landscape for more than three decades, sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East and prompted fears of further escalation in the ongoing regional conflict.
Nasrallah’s death is the most consequential assassination carried out by Israel in years. The Hezbollah leader had long been one of Israel’s top targets, with his name on the nation’s “kill list” for decades. According to the Israeli military, the airstrike, conducted on Friday, precisely targeted a gathering of Hezbollah leaders at their headquarters in Dahiyeh, an area south of Beirut known as a stronghold for the group.
Following the confirmation of Nasrallah’s death, scenes of mourning erupted across Lebanon, with people firing gunshots into the air in grief. In Beirut and other parts of the country, including Baabda in the west and the Bekaa Valley in the east, crowds gathered in disbelief. One woman, holding her baby, cried out, “Wish it was our kids, not you, Sayyid!”—using an honorific title for Nasrallah. Another woman, dressed in black, told al-Manar TV, “We don’t believe he is killed. We left our homes and came here for him and for the resistance.”
In his first public remarks since the assassination, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday defended the strike, stating that Israel had no choice but to target Nasrallah. “At the start of the week, I came to the conclusion that the intense blows the Israeli military struck Hezbollah with were not enough. Nasrallah’s assassination was an essential condition to achieving the goals we set,” Netanyahu said. The prime minister’s comments underscored Israel’s determination to intensify its actions against Hezbollah amid rising tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.
The airstrike that killed Nasrallah also left at least six people dead and 91 others injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The strikes leveled six apartment buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Among those killed were several senior Hezbollah figures, including Ali Karki, commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, the Israeli military reported.
Hezbollah, in a statement, said that Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs” and vowed to continue what it called the “holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine.” This statement came after a month of escalating violence between Hezbollah and Israel, sparked by Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed some 1,200 people and saw 250 more abducted. Hezbollah quickly declared its support for Hamas, opening a “northern front” against Israel and firing rockets from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
Tensions had already been high before Nasrallah’s death, as earlier this month thousands of explosives hidden in devices used by Hezbollah detonated, killing dozens and injuring thousands, including many civilians. Israel is widely believed to have orchestrated the attack, and the Nasrallah strike further escalates the hostilities.
Following the strike, smoke blanketed Beirut’s southern suburbs, and the streets were left empty as the Israeli airstrikes pummeled the area. Shelters in the city center for displaced people quickly filled, and many families resorted to sleeping in public squares, on beaches, or in their cars. Along the roads leading to the mountains above Beirut, hundreds of people fled on foot, carrying infants and whatever belongings they could grab in the rush.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas extended its condolences to Hezbollah, declaring, “Assassinations will only increase the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine in determination and resolve.” Meanwhile, news of Nasrallah’s death shocked travelers at Lebanon’s only international airport, with hundreds scrambling to leave the country. Some travelers cried, while others frantically spoke on their phones. One distraught woman screamed, “No! It was just an announcement! No, he didn’t die!”
In Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced five days of public mourning in Nasrallah’s honor. Khamenei praised Nasrallah as “the flag-bearer of resistance” and emphasized the symbolic importance of his role in opposing Israel. In Tehran, hundreds of protesters took to the streets, waving Hezbollah flags and chanting slogans like “Death to Israel” and “Death to Netanyahu the murderer.”
Thomas Juneau, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, told The Associated Press that Iran would be under significant pressure to respond to Nasrallah’s death without escalating the violence to a full-scale regional conflict. “Iran understands that its military options are limited, given the conventional military superiority of Israel and the U.S.,” Juneau said, highlighting the difficult balancing act for Iran in the wake of the assassination.
Israeli officials have made it clear that Nasrallah’s death is not the end of their campaign against Hezbollah. Israel’s Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said Saturday that eliminating Nasrallah was “not the end of our toolbox,” hinting at more strikes to come. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described the assassination as “the most important targeted strike since the founding of the State of Israel,” emphasizing the significance of Nasrallah’s death in Israel’s broader military objectives.
Israel has also vowed to maintain pressure on Hezbollah until the militant group ceases its attacks, which have displaced tens of thousands of Israelis from communities near the Lebanese border. According to the United Nations, over 200,000 Lebanese have also been displaced by the conflict over the past week. On Saturday, the Israeli military announced it was mobilizing three additional battalions of reserve soldiers to serve across the country, with two brigades already deployed to northern Israel in preparation for a possible ground invasion.
Israeli army spokesperson Shoshani said that Israel has inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah’s capabilities, including targeting strategic weapons like guided missiles. However, he noted that much of Hezbollah’s arsenal remains intact, and Israel would continue its efforts to degrade the group’s military power.
The Israeli military also launched over 140 airstrikes on Saturday in southern Beirut and Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, targeting a storage facility for anti-ship missiles hidden beneath civilian apartment buildings. In response, Hezbollah launched dozens of projectiles across northern and central Israel, striking parts of the Israel-occupied West Bank and damaging buildings in the town of Safed.
The U.S. State Department, amid these escalating tensions, urged American citizens to leave Lebanon, issuing an alert due to the “volatile and unpredictable security situation.” The State Department has authorized the departure of nonessential staff from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, emphasizing that safety conditions were deteriorating rapidly across the country.
Lebanon’s Health Minister said Saturday that at least 1,030 people—including 156 women and 87 children—had been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon over the past two weeks. The casualties are part of the heavy toll being exacted on both sides of the conflict as Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange cross-border strikes.
Orna Mizrahi, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, noted that Nasrallah had occasionally served as a “voice of reason” within Hezbollah, often limiting the group’s attacks to prevent full-scale war with Israel. With Nasrallah’s death, some fear that less restrained members of Hezbollah could push for a more aggressive use of the group’s arsenal, including more powerful weapons that have not yet been deployed. Mizrahi suggested that Nasrallah’s death could provide a crucial “window of opportunity” for Lebanon to dilute Hezbollah’s influence, particularly in the south, and avoid being dragged into a more devastating conflict.
The next steps in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict remain uncertain. While Israel is ramping up its military presence and preparing for potential ground operations, Hezbollah’s retaliation and Iran’s response will play crucial roles in determining whether this conflict escalates into a broader regional war. As Israel continues to target Hezbollah, the risks of further escalation loom large, threatening stability not only in Lebanon but across the Middle East.
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