1 month ago
Last Updated: September 29, 2024, 07:58 IST
Lebanon
US President Joe Biden with Israeli PM Netanyahu | Image/AP (File)
The killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah marks a major escalation in the long-running conflict between Israel and Lebanon.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah confirmed the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said assassinating the Hezbollah leader became an “essential condition” for its country to achieve its war goals.
The killing of the powerful militant group’s leader marks a major escalation in the long-running conflict between Israel and Lebanon, deepening fears of a widened regional war.
In his first public remarks since the killing of Nasrallah, Netanyahu said that the killing of other top Hezbollah commanders was not enough and he decided Nasrallah also needed to be killed. He blamed Nasrallah for being “the architect” of a plan to “annihilate” Israel.
The strikes that killed Nasrallah on Friday targeted a densely populated area and destroyed residential buildings. Israel carried out more strikes Saturday on what it says are Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, killing at least 33 people and wounding 195, according to the country’s health ministry.
Biden Urges Ceasefire In Lebanon
When asked if an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon was inevitable, US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that it was time for a ceasefire. “It’s time for a ceasefire,” Biden told reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise amid Israel-Lebanon warfare.
In the White House statement, Biden underscored his full-throated support for Israel’s strike on Nasrallah, which occurred while Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and Biden and others were trying to broker a ceasefire deal.
Israel Targets Hezbollah’s ‘Chain Of Command’
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.
