On Friday evening, Israel carried out a large number of air strikes against the densely populated Dahieh area in southern Beirut, Lebanon. The area is identified as a strong Hizbollah stronghold. Israel's military says that a "very precise" attack was carried out against Hizbollah's headquarters.
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Several residential buildings were hit in the bombardment that continued into the early hours of Saturday. Shortly afterwards, speculation began in the media that Hizbollah leader Nasrallah was a target of the attacks.
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About 85 so-called bunker bombs were used in Dahieh, according to Israeli newspapers. These bombs dig deep into the ground before detonating and weigh between 900 and 1,800 kilograms each. According to the Geneva Convention, they are prohibited from being used in densely populated areas.
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After the attack, there was silence from Hassan Nasrallah, who has been living in hiding due to the threat against him for a long time. He usually communicates with supporters through video messages that often contain escalated war rhetoric and harsh criticism of Israel. Close associates report that contact with him was lost on Friday evening, according to the AFP news agency.
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On Saturday morning, the Israeli army confirmed that Nasrallah had been killed. "Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world", the military wrote on X.
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A few hours later, Hizbollah also confirmed that the leader had died. "Nasrallah... has joined his immortal martyr friends whom he led for about 30 years", it says in a statement. It does not mention who will take over the leadership or potential retaliations.
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Several other high-ranking Hizbollah leaders are reported to have been killed in the latest wave of attacks, including an intelligence officer and the commander of the southern front, Ali Karaki, who had survived an Israeli assassination attempt a few days earlier.
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Over 700 people have been killed in Israel's attacks against mainly Hizbollah strongholds in Lebanon over the past week, and hundreds of thousands of people have been driven into flight.
