Israel-Lebanon latest: Israel ‘on high alert’ after claiming to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
Israeli military carried out a strike on Hezbollah leadership south of Beirut on Friday
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The Israeli mililtary has said it is on high alert after claiming to have killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike in Beirut, in a major development amplifying fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
The airstrike was carried out as Hezbollah’s leadership met at their headquarters in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh. Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front was among several commanders also killed in the attack, the Israeli military claimed.
The Lebanese health ministry said six people were killed and 91 injured in the strikes – which levelled six apartment buildings.
Nasrallah has lead Hezbollah for more than three decades. There was no immediate comment from the group.
On Saturday morning, the Israeli military maintained its barrage of strikes in southern Beirut and eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, as Hezbollah launched dozens of projectiles across northern and central Israel and the Israel-occupied West Bank.
Israel also said it had called up three more battalions of reservists, after earlier sending two brigades to northern Israel to train for a possible ground invasion.
Who is Hassan Nasrallah? Hezbollah leader of Lebanese militant group killed in Israeli strike
Netanyahu warns Iran that Israel can strike anywhere as it hits Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut
Thousands flee Israel airstrikes on Lebanon with what little they can: ‘We’re afraid for a big war’
What is Hezbollah, the group battling Israel in Lebanon?
EU aviation safety agency advises airlines not to operate in Israel or Lebanon
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has recommended that airlines do not operate in Lebanese or Israeli airspace for the next month.
The agency said that “an overall intensification of air strikes and degradation in the security situation has been noted, impacting the safety of airspace over Israel and Lebanon”.
It did not cite any one specific event in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah as a trigger for issuing its “conflict zone information bulletins” for the two countries.
It said the recommendation is valid until 31 October but could be reviewed earlier and adapted or withdrawn.
Hezbollah threat ‘hasn’t gone away’, Israeli military official warns
Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani has said that much of Hezbollah’s arsenal remains intact despite intense Israeli strikes over the past week, and that Israel will continue to target the group.
“This isn’t a threat that has gone away,” he said, adding that it is “safe to assume” that Hezbollah will retaliate.
But he said Israel hopes the blow “will change Hezbollah’s actions” and alter the course of the war.
Mr Shoshani said the airstrike targeting Nasrallah was based on years of tracking him, along with “real-time information.” He said Israel confirmed the death through various types of intelligence, though he declined to elaborate.
Strikes in Beirut’s south ongoing, witnesses say
Israeli airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs are ongoing, witnesses have told Reuters , saying smoke was visible rising from the affected area.
‘Hezbollah is alive’ banner hung on motorway in Iran
A banner reading “Hezbollah is alive” and featuring a picture of leader Hassan Nasrallah was seen in northern Tehran today, after Israel said it had killed the decades-long chief of the Lebanese militant group.
Iran’s Khamenei says ‘fate of region will be determined by forces of resistance'
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged people “to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the ... wicked regime [of Israel]”.
Following Israel’s claim to have killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Iranian state media reported Mr Khamenei as saying: “The fate of this region will be determined by the forces of resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront.”
His remarks come after two regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters that Khamenei had been transferred to a secure location inside the country with heightened security measures in place.
Hassan Nasrallah: Man who led Hezbollah for three decades
Under the leadership of the 64-year-old Nasrallah, Hezbollah has fought wars against Israel and taken part in the conflict in neighbouring Syria, helping tip the balance of power in favour of president Bashar Assad.
A charismatic and shrewd strategist, Hassan Nasrallah reshaped Hezbollah into an arch-enemy of Israel, cementing alliances with Shia religious leaders in Iran and Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas.
Idolised by his Lebanese Shia followers and respected by millions of others across the Arab and Islamic world, Nasrallah holds the title of sayyid, an honorific meant to signify the Shia cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
A fiery orator viewed as an extremist in the US and much of the West, he is also considered a pragmatist compared to the firebrand militants who dominated Hezbollah after its founding in 1982, during Lebanon’s civil war.
Despite the power he wields, Nasrallah has lived largely in hiding in the past years for fear of an Israeli assassination.
Lebanon prevents Iranian aircraft from entering airspace after Israeli threat, source claims
Lebanon’s transport ministry told an Iranian aircraft not to enter its airspace after Israel warned air traffic control at Beirut airport that it would use “force” if the plane landed, a source at the ministry told Reuters.
The source said it was not clear what was on the plane, adding: “The priority is people’s lives.”
Israel ‘ready for a wider escalation’, military says
No new instructions have been given to Israeli civilians regarding home front readiness, Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters, as current guidelines already put much of the country on high alert.
“Hezbollah has been escalating this for a year ... Iran is obviously behind this, it’s no secret,” the Israeli military spokesperson said. “They’re backing Hamas, they’re backing Hezbollah and other proxies. They even attacked us directly in April.
“So are we ready for a wider escalation? Yes. We’ve been in a wider escalation, a multi-front war, for a year. Our forces are on high alert, our intelligence is up and looking for these types of threats.”
Israel on high alert for broader conflict after killing Hezbollah chief, military official says
Israel is on high alert for a broader conflict after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, but hopes his death will cause the Iran-backed group to change course, a military spokesperson has said.
“We hope this will change Hezbollah’s actions,” Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in a media briefing after the military claimed it had killed Nasrallah.
But he claimed there was still more to be done to degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities.
“We’ve seen Hezbollah carry out attacks against us for a year. It’s safe to assume that they are going to continue carrying out their attacks against us or try to,” he said.
Lebanon says it is retaliating with attacks in northern Israel
In the wake of Israel’s claims to have killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, the militant group said it had targeted Israeli sites – including Rosh Pina in the north – with missiles in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanese cities, villages and civilians.
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