The Secretary General of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah, was killed by the latest Israeli carpet-bombing of Beirut’s southern Dahiya district on Friday, according to an official announcement by the Lebanese resistance group on Saturday afternoon.

Israel had bombed a residential block in the Haret Hraik area in the Dahiya district with several 2000-pound bunker-buster bombs. The massive airstrike leveled an entire residential block and completely flattened at least six residential buildings.

Israeli media outlets first reported that Nasrallah was the target of the strike, while AFP and Reuters quoted sources described as “close to Hezbollah” saying that he was still alive. On Saturday morning, the Israeli army officially announced that it had confirmed the killing of Nasrallah, and a few hours later, Hezbollah published a statement confirming the news.

Since late Friday, Israel put its forces on full alert along the Lebanese border, calling two reserve units to duty, and opening public shelters in several cities, bracing for a Hezbollah retaliation.

Hezbollah expanded its rocket reach on Saturday to central Israel and even the central West Bank. Israeli air defenses intercepted Hezbollah’s rockets near Ramallah a few hours before Hazbollah’s official announcement........

© Truthout