Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, was transferred to a safe location inside the country on Saturday morning, where enhanced security measures were in place, two regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters. The sources said Iran was in constant contact with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other regional groups to work out the next step after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an attack in south Beirut on Friday.
After the announcement of the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, Khamenei condemned what he called “an Israeli massacre in Lebanon” and stated: “The massacre of defenseless people in Lebanon has once again revealed to everyone the ferocity of the Zionist rabid dog and demonstrated the short-sighted and stupid policy of the leaders of the usurping regime.” He declared five days of public mourning in Iran for Nasrallah. Also among Friday’s victims was Hassan Khalil Yassin, a high-ranking commander who heads a unit in Hezbollah’s intelligence division tasked with identifying Israeli military and civilian sites to strike. In a statement, the IDF reported that, in addition to Nasrallah and Yassin, Ali Karaki, commander of Hezbollah’s so-called Southern Front, who survived a recent attack attempt, was also killed in the raid on Friday afternoon, along with other senior officers of the terrorist group.
Who was Hassan Nasrallah
In 1976, at just 16 years old, Hassan Nasrallah traveled to Iraq, where he met Abbas al-Musawi, who would later become the leader of Hezbollah. Nasrallah joined the Shiite Islamic movement of the Dawa Party, to which many future Hezbollah members belonged.
In 1982, Nasrallah abandoned the Amal Movement and, with the help of other Shiite figures and support from Iran, helped create Hezbollah, becoming a prominent figure among its founders. Shortly thereafter, at the age of 22, he was given responsibility for the Beqaa region. In 1985, he was appointed vice president of the Beirut Council, one of Hezbollah’s three main bodies at the time, quickly becoming the organization’s military leader in the capital. He was also a member of Hezbollah’s Political Bureau. In 1987, Nasrallah was chosen as head of the Operational Executive Council and became part of Hezbollah’s Supreme Council. After the killing of Abbas al-Musawi, Nasrallah was designated as his successor at just 32 years old, maintaining the leadership of the group ever since. During his 32 years as Hezbollah’s leader, Nasrallah orchestrated numerous terrorist attacks, responsible for the deaths of Israeli civilians and soldiers, and planned thousands of operations against Israel and other nations. He was the main architect of the organization’s strategic decisions.
US President Joe Biden reacted to the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon: «Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans during a reign of terror that lasted four decades. His killing in an Israeli airstrike represents a form of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese civilians,” Biden said. He then concluded: «The attack that led to Nasrallah’s death occurred in the context of the broader conflict sparked by the Hamas massacre on 7 October 2023. The following day, Nasrallah made the decision to ally himself with Hamas, opening what has defined a front.” Finally, at the time of writing, Israeli sources quoted by Sky News Arabia have announced that a raid is underway in southern Beirut, targeting the vice president of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, Sheikh Nabil Qaouk.
