The death of Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of Hezbollah, in an Israeli airstrike has pushed the conflict in the Middle East into uncharted territory, according to reporting by The New York Times. Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah's death on Saturday after Israeli bombs destroyed three apartment buildings in Beirut that were shielding what Israel said were Hezbollah's underground headquarters.
The killing of Nasrallah represents a significant escalation of Israel's campaign against Iran-backed forces in the region. Iran has long relied on proxy groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen to serve as the front line in its conflict with Israel.
However, the death of Nasrallah deals a major blow to Hezbollah, one of Iran's most important military assets in the region. Analysts say this could leave Israel feeling less threatened and put pressure on Iran to decide whether to respond directly.
It is by now safe to say that October 7th was the greatest miscalculation since Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union. Oct 7th was the beginning of the fall of Iran's proxies, which they invested billions in. They thought Israel would take the hit, bomb a few sites, and call it a…
— AP (@AP_from_NY) September 29, 2024
So far, Iran's leaders have fiercely condemned the attack but have not taken any retaliatory steps. They also did not respond militarily to Israel's killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Some experts interpret this restraint as a sign that Iran wants to avoid direct confrontation with Israel. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, released a statement on Saturday saying, "All the resistance forces in the region stand with and support Hezbollah."
The strike has cast doubt on the future of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah. Up until the day of the bombing, the Biden administration and other mediators had been attempting to broker a diplomatic agreement to resolve the 11-month battle between the two sides, with little success.
The attack appeared to bolster Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who gave a defiant speech at the United Nations on Friday declaring "we are winning" just before the bombs began falling in Beirut. This came despite growing international calls for a ceasefire.
On Saturday, in his first remarks since Nasrallah's killing, Netanyahu said Israel had "settled the score" with the man responsible for killing "countless Israelis and many citizens of other countries." He added that Nasrallah "was not just a terrorist. He was the terrorist."
US President Joe Biden said the killing of Nasrallah "is a measure of justice for his many victims," including Americans. Still, he again called for a diplomatic agreement to end the fighting.
The New York Times reported that Israeli leaders had been aware of Nasrallah's location for months but decided to strike after learning he would soon move. Over 80 bombs were dropped in several minutes during the operation, according to Israeli officials. Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 11 people were killed and more than 100 injured, with the toll expected to rise.
