A top Hezbollah leader was killed in a targeted airstrike by Israel in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Saturday, just a day after a strike in the area killed Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it “eliminated” Hassan Khalil Yassin, who led a unit in Hezbollah’s intelligence division responsible for identifying Israeli military and civilian targets, according to the Times of Israel.
Another senior leader, Nabil Qaouk, Vice President of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, was also targeted in an Israeli airstrike, though details about his fate remain unclear.
The Israeli military said that it conducted a “precise strike” in the southern suburbs of Beirut, specifically in the Dahiyeh area. “The IDF conducted a precise strike in the Dahiyeh area of Beirut. Details to follow,” the statement said.
Israel strike targets warehouse: Lebanon security source
A Lebanese security source said that an Israeli strike on Saturday targeted a warehouse near Beirut airport, the only international passenger facility in Lebanon. “An Israeli strike targeted a warehouse in the vicinity of the airport,” the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Israeli military has said that it has targeted more than 140 Hezbollah positions in Lebanon since Friday night. The blasts that shook southern Beirut late Friday were the fiercest in the area since Israel and Hezbollah last went to war in 2006.
Iran-backed Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, had been killed, following Israel’s claim that it had “eliminated” him in an air strike the day before. “Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, has joined his great, immortal martyr comrades whom he led for about 30 years,” the group stated.
The assault was part of a rapid escalation of Israeli strikes over the past week, which have killed more than 700 people in Lebanon. Israel has vowed to cripple Hezbollah and put an end to 11 months of its attacks on Israeli territory, which Nasrallah described as a “support front” for his ally Hamas in Gaza.
(With inputs from agencies)
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