Israel-Lebanon latest: Another Hezbollah chief killed in strikes as Nasrallah’s ‘body recovered in Beirut’

The head of the Israel Defence Forces has said Hassan Nasrallah “indiscriminately murdered Israeli civilians and aimed to end this war with the destruction of the State of Israel”.

Hezbollah has “murdered innocent people worldwide, hiding weapons under the homes of families, women and children and turning them into human shields”, said Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi.

“The IDF is at peak readiness, both in defense and offense, across all fronts, and is prepared for what comes next,” he said.

“We have more missions ahead on all fronts—destroying terrorist organisations and their capabilities, returning our hostages—the mission is constantly before our eyes! As well as the safe return of the residents in the north and south to their homes.”

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut where Nasrallah was killed was a legitimate military target under international law.

Israel had issued stricter guidelines to civilians by limiting the size of gatherings in areas of central Israel to 1,000 people, he added.

He said: “Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of an evil terrorist organisation; the senior terrorists eliminated with him, and the central headquarters they were in, were legitimate military targets under international law. Nasrallah intentionally built Hezbollah’s central headquarters under residential buildings in Dahiya, Beirut, because Hezbollah intentionally uses Lebanese civilians as human shields. While Hezbollah seeks to maximize civilian harm, Israel seeks to minimize it.”

Nasrallah’s significance and events that led to his death:

Israel has has yet to show it has a strategy to persuade its enemies to accept defeat, writes Mark Almond:

Iran Revolutionary Guards’ deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan was killed in the Israeli strikes on Beirut on Friday, Iranian media reports.

Iranian state television read the announcement from Hezbollah confirming Nasrallah’s death live, but there was no other immediate comment.

The country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement read on television: “The resistance movement, headed by Hezbollah, will decide the fate of the region.”

Idolised by his Lebanese Shi’ite followers and respected by millions of others across the Arab and Islamic world, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah lived largely in hiding in the past years for fear of an Israeli assassination:

The UK government has repeated its plea for calm following the death of Hezbollah’s leader.

British officials reiterated the foreign secretary’s message to the UN this week in which he called for a ceasefire and a political solution to the conflict.

David Lammy told the UN Security Council on Wednesday: “A full-blown war is not in the interests of the Israeli or Lebanese people.”

But pleas for a ceasefire from Western leaders including US president Joe Biden have so far proved unsuccessful, with both Israel and Hezbollah vowing to fight on.

Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Saturday it mourned Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah following his killing in an Israeli airstrike, saying his death would only fuel the fight against Israel.

The group said: “Crimes and assassination by the occupation will only increase the determination and the insistence of the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon to go forward with all their might, bravery and pride on the footsteps of the martyrs... and pursue the path of resistance until victory and the dismissal of the occupation.”

His death marks a heavy blow to Iran, given the major role he has played in the Tehran-backed regional “Axis of Resistance”.

Read more about the Iran-allied groups in the Middle East:

Lebanon’s health minister has said that 11 people were killed and 108 injured in Israeli strikes on Friday, after the attack which killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah levelled six blocks of flats.

Iran is in a precarious position after the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, having not yet responded either to the death of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, warned Chatham House analyst Dr Sanam Vakil.

“An attack from Tehran will certainly invite an Israeli response – one that Netanyahu is clearly looking for, said Dr Vakil, who leads the think-tank’s Middle East and North Africa programme.

“Its reputation as the patron of the axis is certainly damaged. Iran’s intelligence continues to be compromised and its positioning in Syria too remains under persistent attack. Furthermore, it is clear that the axis has not proven effective at providing Iran deterrence, defence against Israel or a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Pezeshkian, Iran’s new president also seeks negotiations and sanctions relief. A military response to Nasrallah’s death will, for the time being, close down the path of diplomacy. “

“Despite these risks and calculations, Iran will be looking for some way to turn the tables and save some face. This could result in a coordinated axis response including from Iraq and the Houthis or another direct Iranian strike on Israel itself.

“By maintain pressure or even escalating, Tehran is aware that this will invite further attacks, but it will choose to do so keep pressure on Israel, perhaps return the focus to Gaza and a ceasefire and above all to stop further Israeli attacks.”