Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike targeting a neighborhood on the southern outskirts of Beirut in the early morning hours of September 28, 2024.
Fadel Itani | AFP | Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday praised the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, saying his death alone would not be enough to end the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
“We have made some great achievements, but we have not yet completed the task at hand,” Netanyahu said, according to a translation by NBC News. “The crushing blow the IDF inflicted on Hezbollah is not enough.”
Hezbollah confirmed on Friday that Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
“There is no place in Iran or the Middle East that Israel’s long arm cannot reach,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
Hezbollah also said in a statement on Saturday that Nasrallah “has joined the ranks of great immortal martyrs.” The confirmation came just hours after Israeli forces announced the killing of Nasrallah after carrying out a major attack on Lebanon the previous day.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed militant group for more than 30 years, was killed Friday in what it called a “targeted attack” by fighter jets on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut. Announced.
Among Hezbollah commanders, Ali Karki, commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, was also killed in the airstrike, the IDF said.
A young boy is seen on top of the wreckage after Israeli warplanes target the Dahieh neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon, causing damage to surrounding buildings and a plume of smoke, on September 28, 2024.
Hassam Shubaro | Anadolu | Getty Images
The announcement comes in what is seen as a monumental blow to Hezbollah after months of conflict. The IDF said Nasrallah is the group’s “core decision maker” and “strategic leader.”
Lebanese political analyst Ronny Chater said on Saturday that Hezbollah, which wields power with absolute authority and has grown to become the world’s largest militia and the world’s most sophisticated terrorist organization, is over. .
“I don’t think the symbolism of this can be overstated. This is the deepest psychological blow this organization has ever had since its founding. No Hassan Nasrallah,” he said before confirming Hezbollah’s death. Then Hezbollah will never be the same.”
Chater said what will emerge in the coming months and years is “something different” and that the organization will remain intact “albeit much smaller.”
President Joe Biden said Saturday that Nasrallah’s death in the Israeli airstrike was “a measure of justice for the many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”
In a White House statement, Biden also doubled down on his support for Israel and continued calls for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza. He also reiterated his desire to defuse conflicts in the Middle East, which are on the brink of an all-out regional war.
“Big blank”
Mr. Nasrallah, 64, is considered one of the most influential figures in the Middle East and has played a key role in turning Hezbollah into a major military and political force.
He has led the Lebanon-based group since 1992, taking over after Israel assassinated the group’s former leader, Abbas al-Moussawi.
File photo: Lebanese Hezbollah leader Saeed Hassan Nasrallah addresses supporters during a public religious procession the day before the Shia Day of Ashura in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, October 11, 2016. Mr.
Aziz Taher | Reuters
Hezbollah, recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, Britain and other countries, is known to be driven by violent opposition to Israel and resistance to Western influence in the Middle East, according to the Council on Foreign Relations think tank. It is being
Firas Maqsad, a senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank Middle East Institute, said on Saturday that news of Nasrallah’s killing would have a “significant” impact on the region.
“Nasrallah was the pre-eminent and most iconic Arab leader in Iran’s regional axis. His killing symbolizes the head-on conflict between Israel and Iran over the future of Lebanon and the Levant, which is likely to come It’s the beginning of the conflict, not the end of the conflict,” Maqsad said.
“Locally, Nasrallah was also the most powerful leader in Lebanon’s Shiite community. His assassination left a huge void and raised serious questions about the community’s future role in Lebanon’s archaic sectarian system. ” he continued.
“In the short term, it is likely to exacerbate political polarization, further exacerbate the fragility of countries with weak central governments, and lead to further instability,” Maqsad said.
In the months following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, cross-border fires have forced tens of thousands of people from their homes on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanon border. Hezbollah expressed solidarity with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Israeli leaders have vowed that displaced residents of northern Israel will be able to return to their homes.
“Israel is now waiting to see whether Iran will engage in retaliation on Hezbollah’s behalf, leading to further escalation in the region,” Nimrod Goren, a senior fellow on Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute, told CNBC.
“However, recent developments also represent a chance for an exit. After weakening Hezbollah’s power, Israel should finally be ready for a ceasefire in Gaza.”
—CNBC’s Emma Graham contributed to this report.