Hezbollah leader confirmed dead, Israel vows to continue assassinations

Iran-backed Hezbollah confirmed its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an airstrike on the group's central headquarters on Friday, while Israel vowed to continue its wave of assassinations.

The Israeli military "eliminated ... Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization," Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in a statement on X.

It was later confirmed by Hezbollah. In a statement on their Telegram channel, the group said Nasrallah, who had led the group for 32 years, had "joined his great immortal martyred comrades", calling him "a heroic, bold, brave, wise, insightful and faithful leader".

Meanwhile, the IDF warned of more assassinations to come. "We will reach everyone, everywhere,” it stated, as operations continued in full force. Last weekend, a wave of commanders were killed in a major operation just days after 1,500 operatives were impacted by pager and walkie-talkie explosions in the biggest blow to the group's security in its history.

Later, in a briefing with reporters the IDF spokesman confirmed the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and added: "I want to say this very clearly—Nasrallah was one of the world's strongest and most influential terrorists, and one of the terrorists with the most capabilities in the world. He was a real threat, with the blood of thousands of people on his hands."

"Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world," the Israeli military said in a post on X on Saturday.

Government-controlled media in Tehran was simply repeating the news about the IDF announcement, while large banners were installed in the capital proclaiming “Hezbollah is alive.” There have been no explicit Iranian threats about a potential retaliation against Israel, although some hardliners have voiced the need for revenge.

Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas of Lebanon on Saturday, a day after carrying out the massive attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahiyeh.

Israel's military also announced on Saturday it has mobilized three reserve battalions to bolster its Central Command defense amid escalating conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon meaning thousands more troops ready for a possible ground invasion after the most tense 10 days between the two sides since the second Lebanon war.

Earlier in the week the army had reported about other mobilizations, the equivalent of around 4,000 troops with talk of boots on the ground by Israel's commander-in-chief.

Following the assassination, the Israeli military continued to pound Lebanon. On Saturday, the IDF announced that weapons belonging to Hezbollah’s anti-ship missile unit embedded beneath civilian buildings in Beirut were struck. "These weapons posed a threat to international maritime routes, freedom of navigation and Israel's strategic assets in the region," they said.

It was buried beneath six civilian buildings in the heart of Danish in Beirut, the IDF said, with intelligence showing it was to be used imminently.

"For years, the Hezbollah terrorist organization built and developed a precision-guided anti-ship missiles systems, originating from Iran, that were aimed at threatening international maritime freedom and the strategic assets of Israel and the region. These missiles have ranges of hundreds of kilometers," the statement said.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday afternoon, "we have challenging days ahead of us," as the country readied for retaliatory actions from Iran's proxies around the region, including Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

In a press conference, he said that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah had been amid talks planning imminent attacks against Israel when he was hit in a precision strike Friday night.

He reiterated Hezbollah's own plans to repeat its own October 7 in an operation called 'Conquer the Galilee'. The IDF "will not let it happen", he warned.

"Our war is not with the Lebanese people, our war is with Hezbollah," he said, adding that for Hezbollah and Nasrallah's victims, "justice has been served".

"Israel doesn't seek a wider escalation. We seek two things. To bring the hostages home after a year in Hamas captivity, and to make sure our borders are safe and secure for our citizens."