Israel claims it has killed the Secretary General of Hezbollah Hasan Nasrallah and there has been some unofficial confirmation to news agencies from sources close to Hezbollah.
Israel claims that the Hezbollah leader was killed in Friday's strike on Beirut. The IDF made a brief statement on X:
Hezbollah is a Shia military organisation founded in the aftermath of the 1982 Israel invasion of Lebanon and perceived as a terrorist organisation by many of its critics. Since its founding it has been funded and supported by Iran.
The Guardian reported that there had been a tacit understanding Israel would not assassinate Hezbollah's top leadership:
"Killing Nasrallah has marked a staggering escalation on the Israeli side. For much of the early conflict with Hezbollah (which began on 8 October – a day after Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel) it was understood Israel would not assassinate the group’s most senior leaders. However, this understanding has not been honoured over recent months, with Israel killing several senior members of Hezbollah."
Sources: PAP, X, The Guardian
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