Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, was killed in an Israeli strike on a Beirut suburb on Friday, the Israeli military said on Saturday.
Hezbollah has so far not confirmed the death of Nasrallah.
“Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote in a post on social media platform X.
The Hezbollah commander responsible for southern Lebanon, Ali Karaki, was also killed, it said.
Fears that mutual attacks between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate into an all-out war have been heightened since Israel launched a massive aerial campaign on Hezbollah targets across Lebanon on Monday, killing hundreds of people so far.
The killing of Nasrallah, who has been leading the powerful militant group based in Lebanon for 30 years, would be the heaviest blow dealt by Israel to Hezbollah.
Israel said Friday’s attack on Beirut was a targeted strike on the Hezbollah headquarters said to have been located underneath residential buildings.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least six people were killed and 91 injured in the attack. However the death toll is expected to rise further as several buildings were completely destroyed, according to state media.
