JUST IN: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in airstrikes – Israeli military

Israel says Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been killed in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Israeli military claimed Nasrallah was eliminated in an airstrike that was carried out on Friday which shook Beirut.

Thefrontrank reports that the Iran-backed Hezbollah has yet to issue any statement on the status of Nasrallah, its leader for 32 years.

If confirmed, Nasrallah’s death would mark a major blow not only to Hezbollah but also its backers in Iran.

He has long been a leading figure in the Tehran-backed “Axis of Resistance”, helping to project Iranian influence across the Middle East.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Saturday that Nasrallah was eliminated in a “targeted strike” on the group’s underground headquarters under a residential building in Dahiyeh – a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut.

It said he was killed along with another top Hezbollah leader – Ali Karaki – and other commanders.

“The strike was conducted while Hezbollah’s senior chain of command were operating from the headquarters and advancing terrorist activities against the citizens of the State of Israel,” it said.

Security source in Lebanon said the attack – a quick succession of massively powerful blasts – had left a crater at least 20 meters deep.

The attack, followed on Saturday by further airstrikes on Dahiyeh and other parts of Lebanon, have escalated the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The escalation has sharply increased fears the conflict could spin out of control, potentially drawing in Iran, Hezbollah’s principal backer, as well as the United States.

Source close to Hezbollah said that Nasrallah was not reachable.

Israel followed up on Friday’s attack with a new wave of airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and other areas of Lebanon on Saturday.