IDF confirms death of Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah, says he 'will no longer terrorise the world'

Israel Defense Forces on Saturday confirmed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been killed.

In a post on X, IDF said, “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorise the world.’ The announcement follows Israel’s overnight airstrikes in Lebanon’s capital city of Beirut that it says targetted Nasrallah and other Hezbollah commanders.

In a separate statement, the IDF stated that alongside Nasrallah, the commander of Hezbollah’s so-called Southern Front, Ali Karaki, was also killed, along with other top members of the Lebanese group. The death of the Hezbollah chief came a day after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a fiery speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in which he refused to back down. The US along with other nations around the world have been calling for a ceasefire between the two parties.

IDF pledges to keep the fighting against terrorism

In the update, the IDF stated that during Nasrallah’s 32 years of reign as Hezbollah chief, the militant group has been responsible of killing countless Israelis.

“During Hassan Nastallah’s 32-year reign as the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, he was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, and the planning and execution of thousands of terrorist activities. He was responsible for directing and executing terrorist attacks around the world in which civilians of various nationalities were murdered. Nasrallah was the central decision-maker and the strategic leader of the organization,” the Israeli military said in the statement published on Saturday.

“The Hezbollah terrorist organization, headed by Hassan Nasrallah, joined the Hamas terrorist organization in its war against the State of Israel on October 8th. Since then, Hezbollah has been continuing its ongoing and unprovoked attacks on the citizens of the State of Israel, dragging the State of Lebanon and the entire region into a wider escalation,” the statement further reads.

Finally, IDF pledged to keep fighting against anyone who promotes terrorism. “The IDF will continue operating against anyone who promotes and engages in terrorism against the State of Israel and its people,” the Israeli military concluded.

Before Nasrallah’s death was confirmed, several news outlets reported that six people were killed and hundreds were injured in the overnight Israeli strikes in Beirut. Amid the chaos, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called an emergency session of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, where several Iranian officials expressed concern over Nasrallah’s whereabouts.

It is pertinent to note that Hezbollah was touted as one of the closest militant group to Iran in comparison to the two other Hs – Hamas and Houthis. Ali Larijani, adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, said Israel “is crossing Tehran’s red lines, and the situation is becoming serious.”

“Assassinations will not solve Israel’s problem… With the assassination of resistance leaders, others will take their place,” Larijani told Iran’s state TV before Nasarallah’s death was confirmed. Hence, the world will now be watching how the Middle East respond to the attack.

With inputs from agencies.