Lebanon live updates: IDF says it has killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

The IDF says it is mobilizing additional reserve soldiers as tensions escalate with Lebanon. 

On Saturday morning, the Israeli military carried out several strikes in southern Beirut and eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, while Hezbollah launched dozens of projectiles across northern and central Israel and the Israel-occupied West Bank.

The military said Saturday morning they were activating three battalions of reserve soldiers, after earlier sending two battalions to northern Israel earlier in the week to train for a possible ground invasion.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority says Air France, Aegean, British Airways and Iberia have cancelled flights to Israel following the IDF’s announcement that it has assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

An Iranian official has announced that Iran will begin registration for deploying forces to Lebanon in the coming days.

“With public registration, officials will certainly grant permission for the deployment of forces to Lebanon and the Golan heights,” Ayatollah Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, Iran’s deputy for international affairs, said.

“We can send forces to Lebanon to fight against Israel, just as we did in the year 1981.”

The IDF issued a statement saying it has eliminated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in yesterday’s strike on the Iran-backed militant group’s headquarters in Beirut.

“The IDF announces that yesterday (Friday), September 27th, 2024, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and one of its founders, was eliminated by the IDF,” the statement said.

In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces said “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.”

Hezbollah has not commented on Israel’s claim, and yesterday denied that Nasrallah had been killed.

Syria’s Health Ministry dispatched a 20-ton convoy of medical aid to Lebanon this morning, delivered through the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing.

It said the shipment included essential items focused on emergency response needs.

IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee this morning warned residents of Dahia in Beirut to move from locations near “Hezbollah interests.”

In a post on X, Adraee referred to a map of the suburb, warning people to stay away from certain buildings.

“You are located near Hezbollah interests and for your safety and the safety of your loved ones, you are obliged to evacuate the buildings immediately and move away from them at a distance of no less than 500 meters,” he said.

Hospitals in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, are being evacuated as conflict in the city escalates.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health issued a statement calling on hospitals unaffected by Israeli strikes to “stop receiving non-emergency cold cases” until the end of next week, in order to free up capacity to receive patients from evacuated hospitals.

The Israel Defense Forces said projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory this morning, with some of the projectiles intercepted.

A surface-to-surface missile fired from Lebanese territory also landed in an open area central Israeli this morning, the IDF said, with details of the incident under review.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he is hopeful that diplomacy can win out and will continue pushing for that, while adding that Israel has a right to defend itself.

“The way it does so matters,” Blinken said. “The choices that all parties make in coming days will determine which path this region is on with profound consequences for its people now and possibly for years to come.”

Blinken continued, saying diplomacy is the course the U.S. government prefers.

“The path to diplomacy may seem difficult to see at this moment, but it is there and it is necessary. We will continue to work intensely with all parties to urge to choose that course.”

Blinken said violence will only lead to more bloodshed and instability in the region, causing “ripples of which will be felt around the world.”

America, Blinken said, will not shy away from defending itself against attacks on its interests.

“Anyone using this moment to target American personnel, American interests in the region, the United States will take every measure to defend our people,” he said.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called Israel’s attack on Hezbollah in Beirut an “undeniable and blatant war crime.”

Israel’s strike on Hezbollah amounted to “state terrorism” and a sign Israel is the “greatest threat to regional and international peace and security,” Pezeshkian said in a statement.

“I express my condolences to the nation and government of Lebanon and extend my sympathies to the families of the proud martyrs of this incident,” Pezeshkian said. “I share in the grief of you, the dear and honorable people of the Lebanese resistance.”

Iran will pursue the crime against Israel and stands alongside Lebanon, Pezeshkian said.