Hassan Nasrallah eliminated: IDF confirms Hezbollah chief taken out in Beirut

The  IDF confirmed on Saturday that Hassan Nasrallah, the arch-terrorist who has led the Shiite group Hezbollah since 1992, has been eliminated, some 12 hours after Israel announced that it had struck the headquarters of the organization in Beirut."Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world," the IDF said on X.

On Friday night,, IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Daniel Hagari announced that the Israeli Defense Forces recently conducted a strike against the central headquarters of Hezbollah in Lebanon. At the time, it was clear that Israel had potentially decapitated the entire command of Hezbollah.

Hours after the attack, toward 10 p.m. Israel time, Israeli sources said there was a growing belief that the terrorist group's leader, Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who has been in charge since 1992, was successfully eliminated, as there is "almost zero chance" that anyone could have survived the bombs that penetrated the underground bunkers. In Saturday's announcement confirming his death, the IDF said that his commander of the Southern Lebanon front, Alik Karki, was also killed.

"IDF Spokesperson announces that yesterday, the IDF eliminated Hassan Nasrallah, the leader and one of the founders of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, along with Ali Karaki, the commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front, and additional Hezbollah commanders," the IDF said in a statement. "Israeli Air Force fighter jets, with precise intelligence guidance from the Intelligence Directorate and the security system, attacked Hezbollah's central underground command center, located beneath a residential building in the Dahieh area of Beirut. The attack was carried out while Hezbollah's top leadership was in the command center, coordinating terrorist activities against Israeli civilians. During the 32 years of terrorist Hassan Nasrallah's tenure as the leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, he was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers and for planning and carrying out thousands of terrorist operations against the State of Israel and around the world. Nasrallah was the central decision-maker and the sole approver of strategic-systemic decisions, and sometimes also tactical decisions in the organization. The Hezbollah terrorist organization and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah joined the war against the State of Israel on October 8. Since then, Hezbollah has continued its attacks against Israeli civilians, dragging the state of Lebanon and the entire region into escalation. The IDF will continue to strike anyone who promotes and engages in terrorism against the citizens of the State of Israel."

This is Hezbollah's Shura Council. After Nasrallah, the most important person is Hashim Safi Al-Din, head of the Executive Council and apparently Nasrallah's successor.

Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 28, 2024

At this point, it is not clear if one or both of them were in the Hezbollah headquarters that was attacked a… pic.twitter.com/dDHTtfd3QM

— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) September 27, 2024

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ordered the strike while visiting New York for the UN General Debate, said he would head back home Friday night, two days earlier than he had planned.

Video: The Israeli strike on Beirut's Hezbollah headquarters Sept 27, 2024

The target was strategically positioned beneath residential buildings in Dahiyah, a suburb to the south of  Beirut known to be a Hezbollah stronghold. This operation marks a notable escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based terrorist group.

Video: The search and rescue operation in Beirut / Credit: Arab media

According to Iranian media, Nasrallah was in a safe place, while a source close to Hezbollah told Reuters he was "alive" without specifying his condition or whereabouts. Meanwhile an Al-Jazeera reporter who tweeted that he had been spared in the attack, later deleted that tweet. The Iranian news agency Tasnim also deleted a tweet saying that Nasrallah survived and then said that sources were unable to communicate with him.

Arab social media

Arab social mediaThe site of the Israeli strike in Beirut on Sept. 27, 2024

Despite the gravity of this military action, the IDF has stated that there are currently no changes to the Home Front Command's instructions for Israeli civilians.

"Moments ago, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a precise strike on the Central Headquarters of the Hezbollah terror organization…taking the necessary action to protect our people so that Israeli families can live in their homes, safely and securely."

Listen to IDF… pic.twitter.com/I4hbN7KkO8

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 27, 2024

"Moments ago, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a precise strike on the Central Headquarters of the Hezbollah terror organization…taking the necessary action to protect our people so that Israeli families can live in their homes, safely and securely," Hagari said in a statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received an update while briefing Israeli reporters traveling with him in his visit to New York, where just moments earlier he had delivered a fiery speech warning Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, that "if you strike us, we will strike you." Upon receiving the news Netanyahu abruptly left the meeting underscoring the significance of the event.