Fears of Iranian retaliation after death of Hezbollah leaders

Hezbollah have confirmed that Israel’s military killed their leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on Beirut.

In a statement, they said: ‘The IDF will continue to harm anyone who promotes and engages in terrorism against the citizens of the State of Israel.

‘Fighter jets of the Air Force under the precise intelligence guidance of the intelligence wing and the defense system, attacked the central headquarters of Hezbollah, which is located underground, under a residential building in the Daha area of ​​Beirut.’

Hezbollah – born out of the long Lebanese Civil War – is both a Shiite Muslim party and a militant group. It is anti-Israel and cozy with Iran, regularly receiving weapons from the country.

It has backed Hamas since the start of October 7 conflict between Israel and Palestine.

The group’s military power grew throughout the 2000s, and in 2021 its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said it had 100,000 fighters.

It’s now worried that Nasrallah’s death will spark a ‘ferocious’ response from Iran, one of Hezbollah’s largest supporters.

Dr Abed El Qadir Kanaaneh told the Mail: ‘The gates of hell are opening right now.’

Who is Nasrallah?

Nasrallah is the elusive leader of Hezbollah, who hasn’t appeared publicly for years for fear of being assasinated.

He has personal links to Iran and helped to militarise Hezbollah, training members of Hamas and militias in Yemen and Iraq.

Nasrallah was born in 1960 in Beirut, before later joining the Amal movement, a Shia militia, during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975.

Eventually the group morphed into Hezbollah, calling for the ‘obliteration’ of Israel in a letter in 1985.

Nasrallah became leader of Hezbollah in 1992 after the former leader was killed in a helicopter strike.

What are the latest developments?

Since the October 7 attacks, daily clashes have occurred between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, killing hundreds and displacing many more on both sides of the border.

Further strikes were carried out in Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

Hours before the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, vowing that his country’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue – further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire.

Mr Netanyahu abruptly cut his United States visit short and returned to Israel.

Mr Nasrallah has been in hiding for years, rarely appearing in public. He regularly gives speeches, but always by video from unknown locations.

More than 720 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict escalated on Monday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

The United Nations says the number displaced by the conflict from southern Lebanon has more than doubled, with more than 211,000 people affected.

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