By John Okeke
Hassan Nasrallah and other senior leaders of Hezbollah were under siege as they gathered Friday in a bunker more than 60 feet beneath the surface of a bustling working- class neighborhood in southern Beirut.
The Israeli military said the Hezbollah leader was killed at his main headquarters underneath a residential building in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.
It said Hezbollah’s acting deputy, Ali Karki, and other Hezbollah commanders were among those killed as they were planning further attacks on Israel.
Abbas Nilforoushan, had also been killed in the strike. Iran has long financed and supported Hezbollah, while also supplying weapons and missile technology to the group.
The attack on Hezbollah’s headquarters took place just after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.N. General Assembly.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with protocol, said Netanyahu greenlit the strike before he delivered his address.
However, Israel’s killing of Hassan Nasrallah was met with joy and rage across the Middle East, opposing reactions that expose the deep divisions in the region.
In Washington, President Biden in a White House statement said Nasrallah and Hezbollah “were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror.
The president called Nasrallah’s death “a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”
He also reiterated full support for “Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups.”
