{"id":393,"date":"2024-10-03T03:03:47","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T07:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kawsachunnews.com\/w\/breaking-news-hezbollah-confirms-death-of-leader-hassan-nasrallah-amid-israeli-airstrikes-in-lebanon\/"},"modified":"2024-10-03T03:03:47","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T07:03:47","slug":"breaking-news-hezbollah-confirms-death-of-leader-hassan-nasrallah-amid-israeli-airstrikes-in-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kawsachunnews.com\/w\/breaking-news-hezbollah-confirms-death-of-leader-hassan-nasrallah-amid-israeli-airstrikes-in-lebanon\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking News: Hezbollah Confirms Death of Leader Hassan Nasrallah Amid Israeli Airstrikes in Lebanon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tThe situation in the Middle East escalated further when Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed following a severe overnight Israeli attack on Lebanon.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile the specific details of Nasrallah\u2019s death were not disclosed, Hezbollah released a statement declaring that “the leadership of Hezbollah commits to continuing its struggle against the adversary, supporting Gaza and Palestine, and defending Lebanon and its resolute, honorable citizens in honor of our most sacred and beloved martyr.”\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThis confirmation by the Iran-supported organization followed claims by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that they had eliminated Nasrallah and several other Hezbollah leaders.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAs reported on Saturday morning, the Lebanese death toll has risen to at least 1,030, with 6,352 others injured. The Lebanese Health Minister, Firas Abiad, noted that “the numbers include those still trapped under debris, unaccounted for individuals, and unidentified remains.”\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe intensity of Israel\u2019s military actions in Lebanon increased after nearly a year of sporadic engagements with Hezbollah, ignited by the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. This conflict has resulted in over 41,000 Palestinian deaths and left many more displaced and in dire conditions. The death toll in Lebanon had surpassed 700 even before Israel commenced what was described as an “apocalyptic” bombing campaign on Friday, coinciding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing the destruction of multiple residential areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which included targeting Hezbollah\u2019s stronghold in Dahiyeh, the IDF continued to target “strategic terrorist locations” throughout the Lebanese capital. These targets included facilities used for weapon production, storage of advanced weaponry, and crucial command centers.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIn light of the IDF\u2019s characterization of the Friday assault as a “precise strike,” Adil Haque, a law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey, reminded that “the mere presence of military objectives within civilian zones, even if unlawful, does not absolve the opposing force from its responsibilities under international humanitarian law.”\n<\/p>\n

\n\tNoura Erakat, another Rutgers professor specializing in human rights law, criticized Israel\u2019s tactics, highlighting that labeling residential zones as terrorist havens due to racial and colonial biases effectively strips away the distinction between civilians and militants, leading to indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tMariam Barghouti, a Palestinian American journalist based in the occupied West Bank, expressed on social media that “in a single night, the Israeli military not only bombed Lebanon and Gaza but also carried out incursions in Jenin and Tulkarem in the West Bank.” Barghouti condemned these actions as crimes against humanity aimed at maintaining regional dominance and continued annexation of Palestinian territories, all under the guise of protecting ethnic-religious supremacy.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tResidents have been fleeing Dahiyeh, seeking refuge in downtown Beirut and other safer areas. One displaced resident, Dalal Daher, recounted the harrowing experience near Beirut’s Martyrs Square: “The intensity of the strikes was unimaginable. We had previously fled and returned home, but we had to leave again as the bombardment intensified, hoping for an end to Netanyahu\u2019s onslaught.”\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Israeli military operation extended into Saturday morning with over 140 airstrikes targeting southern Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley. In retaliation, Hezbollah launched numerous projectiles towards northern and central Israel and into the Israel-occupied West Bank, causing property damage in the northern town of Safed.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAyatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran\u2019s supreme leader, voiced support for Hezbollah via social media, declaring that “the resistance movements are united behind Hezbollah, which continues to make Lebanon proud by thwarting the advances of the oppressive occupying forces. With divine assistance, Lebanon will force the aggressors to regret their actions.”\n<\/p>\n

\n\tKhamenei emphasized the duty of all Muslims to support Lebanon and Hezbollah in their struggle against what he described as the “oppressive, usurping Zionist regime.”\n<\/p>\n

\n\tGreek economist Yanis Varoufakis criticized the timing of the Israeli bombings, which occurred shortly after a U.S.-French initiative aimed at ceasing the violence in Gaza and Lebanon was proposed by President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron. “Today Israel killed Nasrallah,” Varoufakis remarked. “Is this not a profound embarrassment for the Biden-Macron initiative? Do they not realize they are being mocked?”\n<\/p>\n

\n\tShortly before the destruction in Lebanon on Friday, Akshaya Kumar from Human Rights Watch urged Israel\u2019s principal allies to halt military assistance and arms sales due to the significant risk of these resources being used for severe violations. “Instead, the U.S. continues to facilitate arms transfers and military support unconditionally,” she pointed out. She stressed the urgent need for more than just diplomatic words to influence the Israeli government’s strategy.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIn response to the killing of Nasrallah, President Biden issued a statement applauding the Israeli operation, which he described as “a measure of justice,” despite its occurrence in a civilian-populated area. He reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s defense against Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups. Despite his stated goal of de-escalating tensions in the region, critics like HuffPost’s Akbar Shahid Ahmed argue that such statements ring hollow without substantive changes to U.S. policy.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n