President Biden called the killing of Hassan Nasrallah „a measure of justice for his many victims,“ while Iran’s supreme leader condemned what he called an Israeli massacre in Lebanon.
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.
Hezbollah confirmed that its leader of 32 years was killed in Lebanon by an Israeli airstrike, and offered condolences for others killed with him, after what the group called a “treacherous Zionist raid on the southern suburb” of Beirut.
It described Nasrallah as “a great martyr, a heroic, bold, brave, wise, insightful, and faithful leader,” and would remain, despite his death, “still among us with his thought, spirit, line and sacred approach.”
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.”
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.
To highlight the attack’s potential to ignite an even wider Middle East conflict, the semiofficial Iranian news agency, Mehr, reported that an operational head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brig. Gen. 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.
Israelis celebrated the killing
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.
In his first public remarks on Friday’s attack, Netanyahu said the assassination of Nasrallah, who he described as “the architect” of a plan to “annihilate” Israel, was an “essential condition” for Israel to achieve its war goals.
The mood among Israelis was jubilant. One Tel Aviv apartment building blasted a song with the Hebrew lyrics: “Oh Nasrallah, we’ll take you down, God willing, and send you back to God along with all of Hezbollah.
