Israel’s military claimed that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a massive Israeli strike on Beirut. Nasrallah has led Hezbollah for 32 years, but the group has not issued any statement on his status. Nasrallah would be the latest in a series of political leaders and commanders allegedly killed by Israel in recent months.
The list of operations against Hezbollah and Hamas leaders includes the reported killings of Ibrahim Qubaisi, Ibrahim Aqil, Ahmed Wahbi, Fuad Shukr, Muhammed Nasser, Taleb Abdallah, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, and Saleh al-Arouri by Israeli strikes. Nasrallah was last rumored to have been killed during Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah, but he re-emerged unscathed.
Hezbollah’s Ibrahim Aqil was accused by the US of involvement in deadly bombings in Lebanon, while Fuad Shukr was sanctioned by the US for his alleged role in the 1983 bombing of the US marine barracks in Beirut. Muhammad Nasser was responsible for attacks on Israel from southwestern Lebanon, and Taleb Abdallah was Hezbollah’s commander for the southern border strip of Lebanon.
In addition, Hamas leaders Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, and Saleh al-Arouri were reportedly killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza and Beirut. Iranian officials Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi were also killed in an Israeli air strike in Damascus. Israel has not claimed responsibility for all of the reported killings, but the escalating violence in the region continues to result in a growing list of casualties among Middle Eastern leaders and commanders.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
