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LIVE UPDATES: Israeli-Lebanese Tensions Soar as Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah Killed in IDF Bombing

Sputnik International

On Saturday, the IDF announced that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut, along with several other commanders. Hezbollah later confirmed Nasrallah's death.

2024-09-28T11:51+0000

2024-09-28T11:54+0000

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LIVE UPDATES: Israeli-Lebanese Tensions Soar as Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah Killed in IDF Bombing

11:51 GMT 28.09.2024 (Updated: 11:54 GMT 28.09.2024)

After the start of Israel’s military operation in Gaza in October 2023, tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border escalated, with daily exchanges of fire between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah fighters.

On Saturday, the IDF announced that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut, along with several other commanders.

Hezbollah later confirmed Nasrallah's death, stating, "Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has joined the martyrs, whom he led for more than thirty years."

The airstrike, which targeted Hezbollah's main headquarters in Beirut's Dahiyeh neighborhood on Friday night, destroyed six residential buildings, according to Lebanese media. This follows a series of explosions on September 17 and 18 that killed 37 people and injured over 3,000, with Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities blaming Israel, although the latter has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.

Follow Sputnik's live updates to find out more.

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20:43 GMT 28.09.2024

Iraqi Groups Claim Drone Attack on Eilat in Southern Israel

Iraqi armed Shiite groups within the Iraqi Islamic Resistance claimed on Saturday a drone attack on a target in Eilat in southern Israel.

"Continuing the resistance to the occupation and support for our people in Palestine and Lebanon, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurper entity against the civilian population, including children, women and the elderly, fighters of the 'Iraqi Islamic Resistance' on Saturday, September 28, 2024, attacked a vital target in Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat) in our occupied territories using drones," the groups said in a statement on the Islamic Resistance's Telegram channel.

Earlier, Iraqi Shiite armed groups reported that they had struck Tel Aviv using a drone.

20:32 GMT 28.09.2024

Over 30 People Killed, 195 Injured After Israel's Saturday Attack on Lebanon - Authorities

More than 30 people were killed and 195 injured as a result of Israeli strikes on Lebanon, the emergency center under the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

"Today's Israeli aggression in the Lebanese regions has led to the death of 33 people and the injury of 195," the center said in a statement broadcast by Lebanese broadcaster LBC.

The Lebanese Health Ministry has earlier said that 1,640 people were killed and 8,408 were wounded from October 8, 2023 to September 27.

20:01 GMT 28.09.2024

Kuwait's Foreign Ministry Urges Nationals to Immediately Leave Lebanon - Reports

Kuwait's foreign ministry has urged its nationals to depart from Lebanon against the backdrop of the security situation deterioration, media reported on Saturday, citing the foreign department.

The ministry also published the number of an emergency phone line of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Beirut, the Kuwait News Agency reported.

Earlier in the day, Lebanese movement Hezbollah confirmed that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut on Friday.

Israel began a massive bombing campaign, codenamed Northern Arrows, in southern and eastern parts of Lebanon on Monday. The Lebanese Health Ministry put the death toll at over 1,500. Hezbollah retaliated by firing dozens of rockets toward northern Israel.

The escalation was preceded by a series of explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies that rocked Lebanon from September 17-18, killing about 40 people and injuring nearly 3,500 others.

18:52 GMT 28.09.2024

Netanyahu: Hezbollah Leader's Assassination Was Necessary for Israeli Success

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his first public remarks since the elimination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, said Saturday that his removal was a necessary condition for achieving Israel's current goals of returning northern residents to their homes and changing the balance of power in the region.

"The elimination of Nasrallah is a necessary condition for achieving our current goals - the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes and changing the balance of power in the region for years to come," the prime minister was quoted as saying by his office.

The prime minister added that the elimination of the Hezbollah leader would help efforts to free hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu said he had concluded earlier in the week that Israeli strikes against the movement's targets in Lebanon in those days were insufficient.

The prime minister also called Nasrallah "terrorist number one" and "the main engine of Iran's axis of evil," adding that Hezbollah had hatched plans to destroy Israel.

"I came to the conclusion at the beginning of the week that the powerful strikes that the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has inflicted on Hezbollah in recent days, these strikes will not be enough ... For while Nasrallah was alive, he would quickly rebuild Hezbollah's capacity, which we had undermined. So I gave the order - and he is no longer with us," Netanyahu said.

18:37 GMT 28.09.2024

Israel Defense Minister Holds Meeting With Military on Expansion of Operation in Lebanon

18:29 GMT 28.09.2024

Israel Prepares for Limited Ground Incursion in Lebanon Amid Hezbollah Leadership Losses

Israel is gearing up for a limited ground incursion into Lebanon, following the recent elimination of around 30 top Hezbollah leaders, ABC News reports citing a senior US official.

Despite repeated calls from the Biden administration for a diplomatic solution, Israel has rejected a proposal for even a temporary cease-fire in Lebanon and continues to target suspected long-range missile sites, the publication said.

17:37 GMT 28.09.2024

Russian Foreign Minister on Hezbollah Leader Killing: Israel Wants to Create Reason for Direct US Involvement in MidEast Conflict

17:18 GMT 28.09.2024

Biden Calls Killing of Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah 'Measure of Justice'

US President Joe Biden on Saturday called the killing of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah by Israel a "measure of justice," claiming the movement's leader was responsible for killing hundreds of Americans.

"Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror. His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

Biden added that the United States supported Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Palestinian movement Hamas, the Houthis and "any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups."

16:21 GMT 28.09.2024

Israeli Army Reports Elimination of Hezbollah Intelligence Officer in New Strike on Beirut

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday the country's air force had eliminated Hassan Khalil Yassin, a senior intelligence official of the Hezbollah movement, in a strike in the Dahieh area of Beirut.

"Yassin stood at the head of a department responsible for the identification of civilian and military targets, on the northern border and deep within Israeli territory," the IDF said on Telegram.

16:13 GMT 28.09.2024

Russia's Lavrov Calls Israel's Attacks in Lebanon 'Inhumane'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described on Saturday the series of explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon, which is believed to have been plotted by Israel, as "inhumane."

"The inhumane attack on Lebanon by turning civilian technologies into deadly weapons is another blatant example of terrorist methods as a means of achieving political goals," Lavrov said, addressing the UN General Assembly in New York.

The top Russian diplomat called for a prompt international investigation into the incident.

"We cannot ignore numerous media publications, including in Europe and in the US, which indicate some degree of involvement or at least awareness on the part of Washington of the preparation of this terrorist attack," Lavrov said.

The diplomat also called the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut a "political murder."

15:59 GMT 28.09.2024

UN Chief Urges Immediate End to Escalation in Beirut, Calls to Break Cycle of Violence

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned by the "dramatic escalation" in Lebanon and calls for the cycle of violence to be stopped immediately, his office said.

"The Secretary-General is gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut in the last 24 hours. This cycle of violence must stop now, and all sides must step back from the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war," Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement.

Guterres also called on the parties to the conflict to respect the relevant UN Security Council resolution and stop the hostilities immediately.

15:37 GMT 28.09.2024

Top Israeli Diplomat Calls Killing of Nasrallah One of Israel's 'Most Justified Actions'

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that the elimination of Lebanese movement Hezbollah leader Hassan Hasrallah was "one of the most justified counter-terrorism actions" that Israel had ever taken.

"The elimination of arch-terrorist Nasrallah is one of the most justified counter-terrorism actions Israel has ever taken. Nasrallah, who dedicated his life to the destruction of Israel and led over 30 years of terror activity against Israel, including in recent days, deserved to be taken down," Katz wrote on X.

15:36 GMT 28.09.2024

Israeli Strikes Kill Over 1,000, Injure Over 6,300 in Lebanon in 12 Days - Health Minister

More than 1,000 people have been killed and over 6,300 others injured in Lebanon in Israeli airstrikes over the past 12 days, Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad said on Saturday.

"As many as 1,030 people, including 56 women and 87 children, were killed from September 16-27, 2024. The total number of people injured during this period is 6,352," Abiad said.

There 41 health and emergency workers among the killed, the minister added.

The number of people killed in the Friday attack, which resulted in the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, currently stands at 11 with 108 injured, Abiad also said.

15:17 GMT 28.09.2024

Iran's President: Nasrallah Killing Will 'Strengthen Resistance'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed condolences for the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

"The international community will not forget that the order for this terrorist attack came from New York, and the Americans cannot absolve themselves of complicity with the Zionist regime," Pezeshkian said.

15:14 GMT 28.09.2024

A poster of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is placed on flowers in front of the Lebanese Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. - Sputnik International, 1920, 28.09.2024

World

Nasrallah’s Death ‘Devastating Blow’ That Will Trigger Escalation of Violence – Lebanese Scholar

15:13 GMT

14:45 GMT 28.09.2024

Russia Denounces Nasrallah Assassination, Holds Israel Responsible for Escalation

Moscow strongly condemns the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, warning that it may have serious consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East.

Russia calls on Israel to cease fire, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

”We strongly condemn yet another political assassination committed by Israel,” the statement said. “This act of force is fraught with further dramatic consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East. Israel could not have been unaware of the danger but proceeded with this step – the killing of Lebanese citizens, which will almost inevitably provoke a new wave of violence.”

“Therefore, the full responsibility for the subsequent escalation lies with them," it added.

The Foreign Ministry called on Israel to cease fire in light of Nasrallah’s assassination.

"We once again urgently call on Israel to immediately cease hostilities. This would stop the bloodshed and create conditions for a political-diplomatic settlement,” the statement argued. “In the current explosive situation, responsible members of the international community must do everything in their power to prevent the region from descending into a full-scale armed confrontation."

13:44 GMT 28.09.2024

Israeli Chief of Staff Approves New Strategy for Lebanon, Warns of "Challenging Days" Ahead

Israeli General Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Saturday he had approved the country's further actions at the Lebanese front line, adding that the upcoming days would be "challenging."

"I have just completed a situational assessment and approved plans in the Northern Command. Challenging days await us. The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] is at peak readiness, both in defense and offense, across all fronts, and is prepared for what comes next," Halevi was quoted as saying by the IDF on Telegram.

13:41 GMT 28.09.2024

Hezbollah Launches First Strike on Israel After Nasrallah’s Death Confirmed

Hezbollah announced its first attack on Israel following confirmation of the death of the movement's leader, Nasrallah.

"In honor of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, in support of their brave and noble resistance, and in defense of Lebanon and its people, as well as in response to Israel's barbaric invasion of cities, villages and civilian deaths, fighters of the Islamic Resistance Movement launched a rocket attack on the settlement of Katzrin in the Golan Heights on Saturday, September 28, 2024," the statement read.

13:08 GMT 28.09.2024

Commander of IRGC Quds Force in Lebanon Was Killed During Israeli Attack on Beirut - Report

The commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Lebanon, Abbas Nilforooshan, was killed during an Israeli airstrike on Beirut, Iranian news agency Mehr reported.

Nilforooshan, who was also the IRGC's deputy chief for operations, was reportedly killed alongside Nasrallah.

12:53 GMT 28.09.2024

Iraq Declares Three Days of Mourning After Hassan Nasrallah’s Death in Israeli Strike

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani has ordered a three-day national mourning across Iraq in memory of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike, the Prime Minister's office announced on Saturday.