Israel says ‘more than 20’ Hezbollah members ‘eliminated’ in airstrike

More than 20 Hezbollah members were killed alongside their terror boss Hassan Nasrallah in Friday’s airstrike, Israel says. The deadly bombardment killed two close associates of Nasrallah, one of whom was in charge of his security detail. The Israeli military said earlier that Ali Karaki, the head of the terror group’s Southern Front, was killed in the airstrike.

Among those ‘eliminated’ include the head of Nasrallah’s security unit, Ibrahim Hussein Jazini, and Samir Tawfiq Dib, who the IDF described as ‘Nasrallah’s long-time confidant and adviser’. ‘Due to their proximity to him, they served a significant role in the day-to-day operations of Hezbollah and Nasrallah in particular,’ the IDF said. And today the Israeli military announced it had killed another high-ranking Hezbollah official in an airstrike – Nabil Kaouk, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s central council.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Israel’s airstrikes had ‘wiped out’ Hezbollah’s command structure, but he warned the group will work quickly to rebuild it. ‘I think people are safer without him walking around,’ Kirby said of Nasrallah during an appearance on CNN today. ‘But they will try to recover. We’re watching to see what they do to try to fill this leadership vacuum. It’s going to be tough. Much of their command structure has now been wiped out.’

The announcement of more targeted air strikes came as Syrians and Iranians celebrated following Nasrallah’s death in Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Friday. There were jubilant scenes in the northern Syrian city of Idlib, where people took to the streets honking horns, handing out sweets and thanking Israelis. Anti-Iranian regime demonstrators also gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, west London, to welcome Nasrallah’s assassination.

In contrast to the scenes of joy outside the Israeli embassy in London, Iran’s embassy to the UK in the capital has lowered its flag to half-mast following Nasrallah’s death. The move came as Iran began five days of official national mourning, announced yesterday by the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Kaouk had been thought to be among the main contenders to replace Nasrallah, who had led Hezbollah for 32 years. The Lebanese group’s role supporting both the Iranian and Syrian ruling regimes helps explain why many opponents of both have welcomed Nasrallah’s demise.

Iran helped establish Hezbollah in the 1980s and has provided the Lebanese militant group with sophisticated weaponry and training. Hezbollah has also aided Syria ‘s President Bashir al-Assad in his crackdown on rebels in that country’s civil war which has been raging since 2011. Syria’s government condemned Nasrallah’s killing in Friday’s strikes, in contrast to the jubilant response in rebel-held Idlib where people waved Syrian flags, cheered and handed out treats.

One person wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘I’m in Idlib right now and the Syrians are out on the streets celebrating rumours of the death of Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, aka Hezboshaytan! Just a few days ago Hezboshaytan bombed a village here, today we buried a one-year-old baby and his mother that were killed.’ Another video posted on social media showed women in Iran, covering their faces, welcoming the news of Nasrallah’s death.

A speaker said: ‘The children of Iran send a congratulatory message to everyone for the death of Hassan Nasrallah and congratulate the Iranian nation.’ They also thanked Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran’s rulers have faced protests in recent years for their crackdown on women’s rights.

Hundreds of people shot dead by the country’s security services during the nationwide fallout following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. The government had that year ordered tighter enforcement of Iran’s ‘hijab and chastity law’ restricting women’s dress and behaviour. It was under these orders that 22-year-old Ms Amini was detained in September 2022 by Iran’s ‘morality police’ for wearing ‘improper’ hijab and died three days later in hospital, sparking mass unrest.

Hundreds of people were killed, according to rights groups, including dozens of security personnel who were part of a fierce clampdown on the demonstrators – with Hezbollah, under Nasrallah’s command, providing forces supporting the Iran regime. The Iranian celebrations outside the Israeli embassy in London yesterday included people waving flags, setting off flares trailing smoke coloured red, white and green, and holding placards bearing the message, ‘I stand with Israel’.

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