Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut
Israel continued firing more strikes on the city following his death.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other commanders were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, the group and Israeli officials confirmed on Saturday. After his death was confirmed, Israel continued firing strikes on the city.
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard general, Abbas Nilforoushan, was also killed in the Israeli strike that killed the Hezbollah leader, Iranian state media announced Saturday. Nilforoushan was the deputy commander for operations of the IRGC, and was sanctioned by the U.S. for his role in suppressing protests in Iran.
Israel is preparing for a limited ground incursion into Lebanon, according to a senior U.S. official. Israel has rejected a cease-fire proposal from the European Union -- even a short one, according to the official, and have not maintained communication with the Biden administration.
The U.S. and Israel believe they have eliminated around 30 top Hezbollah leaders over the last several weeks. Of the remaining Hezbollah leaders, there is worry about spies among their ranks, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
Israel said it struck over 140 Hezbollah targets overnight and into Saturday morning.
Israel also hacked the control tower system at the Beirut Airport on Saturday to warn an Iranian passenger plane that was headed for Beirut not to land there, a senior official at the Lebanon Ministry of Transport confirms to ABC News. The Lebanese Minister of Transportation then told the plane not to enter Lebanese airspace.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah "settled accounts" for those who had a hand in killing. Netanyahu said he came to the decision that what Israel had done to Hezbollah was "not enough" earlier this week when he gave the order to assassinate Nasrallah, but issued a warning.
"The work is not yet complete. In the coming days we will face significant challenges ... There is no place in Iran or the Middle East that the long arm of Israel will not reach, and today you already know how true this is," Netanyahu said. "We are determined to continue to strike at our enemies, return our residents to their homes, and return all our abductees."
President Joe Biden called Nasrallah's death "a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians," in a statement Saturday.
"The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups," Biden said.
"Ultimately, our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means," he added.
Israel used bunker busters -- a munition designed to penetrate targets underground -- in the strike that killed Nasrallah, targeting a location underground embedded under a residential building in the area of Dahieh in Beirut, according to an Israel official familiar with the strike. Israel said the strike was conducted while the group's senior chain of command were operating from their headquarters.
"Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and one of its founders, was eliminated by the IDF, together with Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front, and additional Hezbollah commanders," the IDF said in a statement issued on Saturday morning.
"During Hassan Nasrallah'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," the IDF statement read. "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 IDF said that they will continue to operate "against anyone who promotes and engages in terrorism against the State of Israel and its people."
Hezbollah called the killing of its leader and the targeting of residential buildings in Beirut "a cowardly terrorist act, a massacre and a heinous crime." The group vowed to "continue its jihad in confronting the enemy, supporting Gaza and Palestine, and defending Lebanon and its steadfast and honorable people."
Despite the strike targeting Nasrallah on Friday and massive overnight strikes on Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to fire rockets and missiles into Israel. So far, they have released seven statements on attacks toward Israel on Saturday.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, twice regarding the strikes on Lebanon and "expressed full support for Israel's right to defend itself and its people against Iranian backed terrorist groups," Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement Saturday.
"The Secretary made it clear that the United States remains postured to protect U.S. forces and facilities in the region and committed to the defense of Israel," Ryder said.
Tensions have continued to rise between Israel and Hezbollah in recent days with Israeli officials saying they are preparing for a ground invasion into Lebanon. Israel has targeted and killed several high level Hezbollah officials since it began its attacks on Lebanon.
Netanyahu said in recent days Israel will continue fighting against Hezbollah "with full force," warning Iran -- which backs Hezbollah -- and the entire Middle East.
"If you strike us, we will strike you," Netanyahu said at the United Nations General Assembly, addressing Iran.
The leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, released a statement that didn't comment on the death of Nasrallah, but insisted that "the resistance" will not be destroyed. The "fate of the region" will be decided by the "resistance forces and at the head of them is Hezbollah," he said in a statement.