Israeli Army Confirms Deaths of Hezbollah Leaders in Airstrikes

Sunday 0 Sep 2024 |1 week ago
Part of the destruction in the southern suburb of Beirut

Barran Press

On Sunday, September 29, 2024, the Israeli military announced the names of four Hezbollah leaders among the twenty killed in airstrikes targeting the party's headquarters in Haret Hreik, a suburb of Beirut, on Friday.

Israeli Army spokesperson Avichai Adraee shared the names on X, stating that those killed alongside Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah included: "Ibrahim Hussein Jazini, head of Nasrallah's security unit; Samir Tawfiq Dibb, Nasrallah's advisor; Abdul Amir Muhammad Sabline, responsible for building the party's strength; and Ali Nayef Ayoub, in charge of fire management within Hezbollah."

Adraee noted that Jazini and Dibb "formed a crucial expertise center in Hezbollah's operations, particularly under Nasrallah."

On Saturday, the Israeli military confirmed that Ali Karki, the military commander of southern Lebanon since 1982, was also among the casualties, a claim Hezbollah later corroborated in a statement.

Adraee indicated that a total of twenty Hezbollah leaders were killed alongside Nasrallah during the strikes. In addition to the Lebanese leaders, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported that General Abbas Neelfroushan, deputy commander of Revolutionary Guard operations, was also killed in the attack on the southern suburb.

The assassination of Nasrallah has sparked widespread international reactions, with calls for calm and warnings about serious regional implications.

During a press conference on Sunday, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated that Lebanon had "no option but a diplomatic solution," in response to inquiries about diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation. He estimated that the number of displaced people due to ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon could have reached "one million," suggesting that this displacement might be the "largest" in the country's history.

Hezbollah's statement confirming Nasrallah's death did not specify how or when he was killed, but sources indicated that his body showed no direct wounds, suggesting that the cause of death was acute trauma from the blast.

Images and video footage have revealed the extensive damage caused by the Israeli strikes on Hezbollah's headquarters, showcasing craters and buildings reduced to rubble from the force of the explosion, which resulted in Nasrallah's death alongside other party leaders and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander.

Since September 23, the Israeli military has launched what it describes as the "most intense and extensive" campaign against Lebanon since hostilities with Hezbollah began nearly a year ago, resulting in 816 fatalities, including women and children, and 2,507 injuries, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency from Lebanese authorities. Concerns continue to grow about the potential for the conflict to escalate into a regional war.

Since October 8, 2023, Lebanese and Palestinian factions, notably Hezbollah, have engaged in daily exchanges of fire with the Israeli army across the Blue Line, demanding an end to Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza, which have been supported by the United States since October 7.

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