Israel says it’s killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

Israel said on Saturday that it had killed Hezbollah’s leader, dealing its most significant blow to the Lebanese militant group after months of fighting. There was no immediate confirmation from the group.

If the claim is true, Nasrallah is by far the most powerful target to be killed by Israel in weeks of intensified fighting with Hezbollah.

The military said it carried out a precise airstrike on Friday whilst Hezbollah’s leadership met at its headquarters in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut.

Israel’s Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said on Saturday that the elimination of Nasrallah was “not the end of our toolbox,” indicating that more strikes were planned. He said that the strike targeting Hezbollah’s leadership was the result of a long period of preparation.

Israel maintained a heavy barrage of airstrikes against Hezbollah on Saturday, as Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets toward Israel.

The Israeli military said it was mobilising additional reserve soldiers as tensions escalate with Lebanon. The military said on Saturday morning it was activating three battalions of reserve soldiers, after earlier sending two brigades to northern Israel earlier in the week to train for a possible ground invasion.

On Saturday morning, the Israeli military carried out several strikes in southern Beirut and eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah launched dozens of projectiles across northern and central Israel and the Israel-occupied West Bank.

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, smoke rose and the streets were empty after the area was pummelled overnight by heavy Israeli airstrikes. Shelters set up in the city centre for displaced people were overflowing. Many families slept in public squares and beaches or in their cars. On the roads leading to the mountains above the capital, hundreds of people could be seen making an exodus on foot, holding infants and whatever belongings they could carry.

At least six people were killed and 91 were wounded in the strikes against the Hezbollah on Friday, Lebanon’s health ministry said. It was the biggest blast to hit the Lebanese capital in the past year and appeared likely to push the escalating conflict closer to full-fledged war. At least 720 people have been killed in Lebanon during the week, according to the Health Ministry.

The death toll is likely to rise significantly as teams comb through the rubble of six buildings. Israel launched a series of strikes on other areas of the southern suburbs following the initial blast.

Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.