Hezbollah confirms Nasrallah is killed after Israeli strike

Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gestures as he addresses his supporters during a rare public appearance at an Ashura ceremony in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon on October 23, 2015. File Photo: REUTERS

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been killed, the Iran-backed group said on Saturday, confirming his death after the Israeli military said it had eliminated him in an airstrike in Beirut the day before.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it would continue its battle against Israel “in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defence of Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people”. It did not say how Nasrallah was killed.

The Israeli military said earlier that Nasrallah was killed in a “targeted strike” on Friday on the group’s underground headquarters in Dahiyeh – a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut.

It said he was killed along with another top Hezbollah leader, Ali Karaki, and other commanders.

Friday’s airstrike on Dahiyeh shook Beirut. A security source in Lebanon said the attack – a quick succession of massively powerful blasts – had left a crater at least 20 metres deep.

It was followed on Saturday by further airstrikes on Dahiyeh and other parts of Lebanon. Huge explosions lit up the night sky, and more strikes hit the area in the morning. Smoke rose over the city.

Residents have fled Dahiyeh, seeking shelter in downtown Beirut and other parts of the city.