On Saturday, the Israeli military said that Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, had died in an attack on Beirut. On X, military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said, “Hassan Nasrallah is dead.” In addition, Captain David Avraham told AFP that the Hezbollah leader had been “eliminated” after Friday’s attacks on the Lebanese capital.

Israel Defense Force posted on X, “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.” Even though Nasrallah was earlier described as “unharmed” by a Hezbollah spokesman.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, is very influential in Lebanon, especially among his Shiite followers, and is seen as an important player in both waging war and mediating peace.

Israeli jets launched a barrage of powerful airstrikes on “strategic targets” in Beirut with the intention of killing Nasrallah. The strikes caused panic and confusion among citizens as heavy smoke rose over heavily populated areas. They were the most devastating against the city since Israel moved its military emphasis from Gaza earlier this week.

Muhammad Ali Ismail, the head of Hezbollah’s missile section, his deputy, and several high-ranking officers were allegedly killed in the attacks, according to the IDF. Israel said that it had destroyed Hezbollah’s arsenals, which were spread across southern Beirut’s buildings. Hezbollah refuted these claims, claiming instead that six buildings were destroyed, 91 people were hurt, and six deaths were verified.

Hezbollah retaliated by firing missiles into Israel.

Shortly after promising to continue the military assault against Hezbollah until the northern border is completely secured, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed global leaders at the UN General Assembly, which coincided with these bombings.

During his address, Netanyahu said that Hezbollah would not get a respite and made hints about a possible ground attack in Lebanon. He also sent a strong message to Tehran over its backing of Hezbollah, saying, “If you strike us, we will strike you,” and threatening to use Israel’s military might to take it all the way to the Middle East if needed.