Netanyahu claims responsibility for Hassan Nasrallah's assassination

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that he personally ordered the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in Beirut.

The assassination, which took place last night, was described by Netanyahu as a critical step to ensure the safety of Israel's northern residents, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Speaking in his first public statement since Nasrallah’s death, Netanyahu emphasized the necessity of the action, declaring, “We have settled the account with a mass murderer responsible for the deaths of countless Israelis and dozens of American and French citizens.” He described Nasrallah as “the central engine of Iran’s axis of evil” and a mastermind behind plans to destroy Israel.

Netanyahu acknowledged that despite Israel’s heavy strikes on Hezbollah, eliminating Nasrallah was “an essential condition for achieving the aims that we have set out — returning the residents of the north safely to their homes and changing the balance of power in the region for years.”

“So I gave the order, and Nasrallah is no longer with us,” Netanyahu affirmed, further noting that Nasrallah’s death would prevent Hezbollah from quickly regaining its military capabilities. Israeli security forces had been tracking Nasrallah for months, and the prime minister confirmed that the decision to act this week came amid concerns the opportunity could slip away.

Netanyahu also characterized Nasrallah as a more autonomous actor than typically perceived, saying, “He wasn’t merely activated by Iran. In many cases, he activated Iran.”

Hezbollah’s leader for the past 32 years, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Lebanon’s capital Beirut on September 27 evening.  

Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, and other Hezbollah commanders were also killed in the massive air attack on Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh, the Israeli military claimed.

Just more than a week ago, Israel also killed senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in Beirut. These events come just two months after Hamas’s political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed by Israel in Iran.

The deaths of Nasrallah and other leaders in these unprecedented attacks on Lebanon and during the mass detonation of pagers and handheld radios belonging to Hezbollah commanders earlier this month have left the group facing a potential power vacuum.

Israel claimed this as a huge victory, but observers fear an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, backs Hezbollah. So what will happen next?

By Khagan Isayev