Hezbollah has confirmed the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah after Israeli strikes on Beirut.
Nasrallah, who had not been seen in public for years because of fears of being assassinated by Israel, was one of the best known and most influential figures in the Middle East
Air strikes continue in southern Beirut, with a BBC correspondent seeing thick smoke rising over several locations in Dahieh on Saturday morning
Elsewhere, the Israeli military says that it is “attacking” targets in the Bekaa Valley after detecting a rocket fired from Lebanon
On Friday, Lebanese officials said six people were killed and 91 injured in an air strike, with local officials saying that nearly 800 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since Monday.
Hezbollah pledges to fight on after confirming Nasrallah’s death
published at 12:57 British
Some more now from Hezbollah, who just released a lengthy Telegram post confirming its leader – Hassan Nasrallah – has “passed away”.
“His Eminence, the Master of Resistance, the righteous servant, has passed away to be with his Lord,” the statement says.
The group seemed to confirm that he had died in air strikes on Beirut, saying his death had come “following the treacherous Zionist raid on the southern suburb”.
The group also went on to “pledge” its fight against Israel and continued support of “Gaza and Palestine, and defending Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people”.
Meanwhile, Hamas has expressed its solidarity with the Hezbollah, saying it stand with Hezbollah after Nasrallah’s death.
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We’re hearing now from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, who alongside Lebanon-based Hezbollah is backed by Iran both militarily and financially.
In a statement from the Gaza-based group, it says it mourns the death of Hezbollah’s leader and that it stands in “solidarity with the brothers in Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon”.
While the Israel-Hezbollah conflict has been going on for decades, the current war between them started after Hamas gunmen launched an attack from Gaza on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people.
Fighting between Hezbollah and Israel began escalating on 8 October 2023 – the day after the unprecedented attack.
Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions in solidarity with the Palestinians and says it will continue fighting Israel until a ceasefire in Gaza is met.
