Escalating Tensions: Key Hezbollah Figures Assassinated in Israeli Strikes
In a significant escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, recent Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of several high-ranking Hezbollah officials, including Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, head of the Lebanon file in the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. The attacks, which took place in southern Beirut, have drawn widespread condemnation from Iranian officials and heightened concerns over regional stability.
The Iranian Mehr News Agency confirmed the death of Nilforoushan following the Israeli raids on Friday, which were aimed at Hezbollah's central command. Hezbollah subsequently announced the death of Nasrallah, stating, “His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has joined his great and immortal martyred comrades, whose path he led for nearly 30 years.” The Israeli military has acknowledged the operation, stating it involved the use of approximately 85 bunker-busting bombs to eliminate perceived threats from Hezbollah, particularly those involving guided missiles that could target key strategic points in Israel.
Hezbollah's response has been swift, with Iranian Parliament officials calling for a firm retaliation against Israel for what they termed as
urging that the Zionist entity must regret its actions. Reports indicate that Iran is actively coordinating with Hezbollah and its regional allies to formulate a response.
In addition to Nilforoushan and Nasrallah, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that other senior operatives, including Ibrahim Qubaisi, the head of Hezbollah's rocket and missile force, and his deputy, Abbas Ibrahim Sharaf Ad-Din, were also killed in earlier strikes. The IDF has claimed multiple successful operations targeting key Hezbollah figures, further intensifying the ongoing conflict in the region.
