Israel says it 'eliminated' Hezbollah chief in Beirut strike

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel's military said on Saturday it had "eliminated" Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, though the group has yet to comment on his fate.

If confirmed, Nasrallah's death would deal a massive blow to the Iran-backed group which he has led since 1992, potentially destabilizing Lebanon as a whole.

A source close to Hezbollah told AFP that contact with Nasrallah had been "lost" since Friday night.

Rarely seen in public, Nasrallah enjoys cult status among his Shiite Muslim supporters and is the only man in Lebanon with the power to wage war or make peace.

"Hassan Nasrallah is dead," Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani announced on X.

Another military spokesman, Captain David Avraham, also confirmed to AFP that the Hezbollah chief had been "eliminated" following strikes Friday night on Beirut.

The Lebanese group, which normally confirms major deaths among its ranks on the same day, has yet to comment officially on Nasrallah's fate.

An Israeli military statement said: "During Hassan Nasrallah's 32-year reign as the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, he was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, and the planning and execution of thousands of terrorist activities."

Israel's army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi meanwhile vowed to "reach" anyone who threats Israeli citizens.

"The message is simple, anyone who threatens the citizens of Israel -- we will know how to reach them," he said in a statement.

The military also said it killed Hezbollah commanders Muhammad Ali Ismail and Ali Karake, among others.

The blasts that rocked southern Beirut late Friday were the fiercest to hit the group's stronghold since Israel and Hezbollah last went to war in 2006.

Israeli jets kept up their bombardment of the city's southern suburbs on Saturday, sending panicked families fleeing.

An AFP photographer said Saturday dozens of buildings were destroyed.

After heavy strikes Friday, Israel issued fresh warnings for people to leave part of the densely populated Dahiyeh suburbs before dawn.

Hundreds of families spent the night outside, in central Beirut's Martyrs' Square or