what we know about the strikes that killed the leader of Hezbollah

This Saturday, Israel officially confirmed the death of Hassan Nasrahllah, leader of Lebanese Hezbollah since 1992, killed during airstrikes on Beirut. Here’s what we know.

Hezbollah leader eliminated. On Friday September 27, Israel launched new strikes on Lebanon, particularly in southern Beirut, in order to target Hezbollah neighborhoods.

Just before 6:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. GMT), explosions rang out in and around the Lebanese capital. It was a “series of Israeli strikes” which targeted “the southern suburbs” of Hezbollah’s stronghold, according to the official Lebanese agency.

A source close to the movement indicated that seven buildings were completely destroyed by these strikes. In an initial report, the Lebanese authorities reported two deaths and 76 injured. The latter is now established at six dead and 91 injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

This Saturday, September 28, rescuers are still looking for possible survivors under the rubble.

Hassan Nasrallah targeted by Israel

Although several Israeli channels had claimed that these strikes targeted Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, the IDF did not wish to “make any comment on this subject” on Friday.

However, the day after the strikes, the Israeli army itself confirmed the death of the Hezbollah leader: “Hassan Nasrallah is dead,” indicated an army spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Nadav Shoshani, on x.

This announcement came a few hours after the leader of the Lebanese armed Islamist movement financed by Tehran was declared “unharmed” by several sources close to the movement, who finally declared this Saturday that “contact with Hassan Nasrallah had been lost since Friday evening” .

“Attack” anyone threatening Israel

Also this Saturday, a few minutes after the death of Hassan Nasrallah was made official, the chief of staff of the Israeli army, General Herzi Halevi, spoke about this series of strikes: “We do not have not exhausted all the means at our disposal. The message is simple: whoever threatens the citizens of Israel, we will know how to get to them.”

For several weeks now, Israel has been carrying out a series of strikes in Lebanon against Hezbollah, a supporter of Hamas. In July, the IDF announced that it had killed Fouad Chokr, the movement’s highest military commander.

In September, explosions of pagers and then walkie-talkies in Lebanon, which left dozens dead, were also attributed to Israel. A few days later, Ibrahim Aqil, head of Hezbollah’s elite unit, was in turn killed by the Israeli army in airstrikes, still in Beirut.