BEIRUT: Israel killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful air strike in Beirut, dealing a huge blow to the group.
The Israeli military said on Saturday it had eliminated Nasrallah in the strike on the group's central command headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs a day earlier. Hezbollah confirmed he had been killed, without saying how. His death is a major blow to Hezbollah.
A senior member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan, was also killed in Israeli attacks in Beirut, Iranian media reported on Saturday.
Hezbollah said in a statement that it would continue its battle against Israel "in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defence of Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people".
Hezbollah's Al Manar TV aired Quran verses after his death was announced. Bursts of gunfire were heard in Beirut.
Friday's air strike - a succession of massively powerful blasts that left a crater at least 20 metres deep - shook Beirut. Israel carried out further air strikes on the area and more widely in Lebanon on Saturday.
The Israeli military said earlier that Nasrallah was killed in a "targeted strike" on the group's underground headquarters beneath a residential building in Dahiyeh - a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut.
It said he was killed along with another top Hezbollah leader, Ali Karaki, and other commanders.
Nasrallah's death is by far the most significant blow in a devastating fortnight for Hezbollah, starting with a deadly attack on thousands of wireless communications devices used by its members. Israel also significantly ramped up air strikes in Lebanon, killing several top Hezbollah commanders and hundreds of other people across wide areas of the country.
Hezbollah gave no immediate indication of who might succeed Nasrallah. Senior Hezbollah official Sayyed Hashem Safieddine has long been regarded as heir apparent. The group has not issued any statement on Safieddine's status or that of any other Hezbollah leaders - apart from Nasrallah - since the attack.
ESCALATION
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "gravely concerned" by the "dramatic escalation" seen in Lebanon in the past day as Israel targets Hezbollah in the capital Beirut.
"The secretary-general is gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut in the last 24 hours," he said following Hezbollah's announcement its leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed.
Friday's attacks on Dahiyeh were followed by more strikes on the area and other areas of Lebanon on Saturday. Huge explosions lit up the night sky, and more strikes hit the area in the morning. Smoke rose over the city.
Hezbollah continued its cross-border rocket fire on Saturday, setting off sirens and sending residents running for shelter deep inside Israel. Israeli missile defences blocked some of them and there was no immediate report of injuries. The escalation has increased fears the conflict could spin out of control.
BOMBINGS
Residents have fled Dahiyeh, seeking shelter in downtown Beirut and other parts of the city.
"Yesterday's strikes were unbelievable. We had fled before and then went back to our homes, but then the bombing got more and more intense, so we came here, waiting for Netanyahu to stop the bombing," said Dalal Daher, speaking near Beirut's Martyrs Square, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. SEE ALSO P6
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