The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has apparently been killed during a massive wave of airstrikes against the group’s command based in southern Beirut, Lebanon.
Dozens of airstrikes took place on Saturday morning, during five hours of continuous Israeli attacks on high-level targets around the Lebanese capital.
Although there has been no direct confirmation that Nasrallah was killed, a source close to Hezbollah told Reuters he was not reachable.Hezbollah has yet to make a statement.
The Israeli government has already confirmed that it killed the commander of Hezbollah’s missile unit, Muhammad Ali Ismail, and his deputy, Hossein Ahmed Ismail.
The strikes are thought to have been targeted directly at senior Hezbollah leadership.
Shortly before the latest wave of devastating airstrikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations that Israel has the “no choice” but to continue its attacks against Hezbollah.
“As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely,” he said.
A number of national delegations left when Netanyahu took to the stage to make his speech. After delivering his speech, Netanyahu returned to Israel earlier than scheduled.
Over the past week, it’s believed as many as 700 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon. An extra 100,000 people have been displaced in the country, bringing the total to some 200,000.
Fears are now growing that the conflict will escalate into all-out war and an Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The 2006 invasion is remembered bitterly in Israel and Lebanon.
The intensification of Israeli airstrikes has prompted calls for a ceasefire. France and the US have proposed a 21-day halt to the hostilities.
“This must be brought to an end immediately,” French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere told a Security Council meeting.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “We believe the way forward is through diplomacy, not conflict… We will continue to work intentionally with all parties to urge them to choose that course.”
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