What to know after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

People gather at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 29 September 2024
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What to know after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

  • It remains to be seen whether his death will be a trigger for an all-out war between the two sides
  • Iran is the main backer of Hezbollah and other anti-Israeli militant groups in the region

BEIRUT: Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is a monumental and hugely demoralizing blow to the group he led for 32 years, marking a significant inflection point for Lebanon and the region.
Hezbollah’s announcement of his death Friday triggered tears and celebrations across the Arab world, pointing to the widespread reach and influence of a divisive man who has been at the forefront of Middle Eastern politics for decades.
The 64-year-old Nasrallah headed arguably the most powerful paramilitary force in the world — also a US-designated terror organization — that is now left without a clear successor at a critical juncture. It remains to be seen whether his death will be a trigger for an all-out war between the two sides that could potentially drag in Iran and the United States.
Here are some things to know about the situation:
Is it a decapitating blow?
Nasrallah’s assassination is a severe blow to the group, not a decapitating one. But analysts say Hezbollah will need some time to absorb the shock and recover.
“Nasrallah’s killing is a significant setback for Hezbollah, not only because of the pivotal role he played in Hezbollah’s strategy but also because his elimination reveals the extent of the group’s vulnerability vis-à-vis Israel,” said Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at Chatham House, an international affairs think tank.
“This will shake the confidence of Hezbollah’s Iran-backed allies across the Arab world, from the Houthis in Yemen to the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, as well as Iran itself, sparking a tectonic shift in Iran’s network of influence in the Middle East,” she added.
It is not the first time Israel has killed a Hezbollah leader. Nasrallah took over from Abbas Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack in 1992.
But Hezbollah today is very different from the ragtag organization it was in the ‘90s. In recent years, he has presided over an army-like group estimated to have tens of thousands of fighters and a sophisticated arsenal capable of reaching anywhere inside Israel.
It has become the chief part of a cluster of Iranian-backed factions and governments of the self-named “Axis of Resistance.”
“Hezbollah will not back down following the killing of its leader, as it will need to convey steadfastness in the face of Israel if it’s going to retain its credibility as the strongest ‘resistance’ actor in the region,” said Khatib.
Iran’s dilemma
In his first remarks Saturday following Nasrallah’s death, Iran’s supreme leader gave no indication of how Tehran will respond.
In a vague statement, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “all regional resistance forces” support and stand beside Hezbollah, but he did not elaborate.
Iran is the main backer of Hezbollah and other anti-Israeli militant groups in the region, but it has largely avoided clashing directly with Israel due to domestic considerations.
Hezbollah, however, is Iran’s chief ally and proxy group, and Tehran may have to respond to retain its credibility with its partners in the axis.
“Iran is very much in a policy dilemma right now,” said Firas Maksad, of the Middle East Institute. On one hand, clearly it very much has wanted to avoid an all-out and direct confrontation, given its long-standing preference for asymmetric warfare and using proxies.
“But on the other hand, a lack of a worthy response given the magnitude of the event will only encourage Israel to push deeper past Iran’s red lines,” he said. Not responding also sends a signal of weakness to its regional proxies.
Any direct Iranian involvement risks dragging Israel’s chief ally, the US, into the war, just over a month before the US elections and at a time Iran has signaled its interest in renewing negotiations with the US over its nuclear program.
Maksad said one possible scenario is a coordinated response from the entire axis. Whether that will be coupled with a direct response from Iran itself is an open question.
Who will succeed Nasrallah?
There is no one nearly as influential and respected among the group’s remaining leadership as Nasrallah.
The man widely regarded as his heir is Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah who oversees the group’s political affairs. It is not known if he survived Friday’s attack, and the Hezbollah statement announcing Nasrallah’s death Friday made no mention of a successor.
The group’s Shoura Council will have to meet in the coming days or weeks to choose its new leadership. Lebanese journalist and writer Maher Abi Nader said Safieddine or Nabil Kaouk, a member of the group’s executive council, were the likely successors.
Whoever ends up replacing Nasrallah in the current atmosphere will have to contend with a deeply weakened force facing growing anger and frustration on the home front.
In just over 10 days, the Iran-backed group has been hit by a series of devastating attacks that dealt a severe blow to its military structure and exposed deep intelligence failures.
Explosives hidden in the group’s pagers and walkie-talkies killed dozens of people and wounded thousands — many of them Hezbollah members. Israel has also rained down missiles on residential areas where the group has a strong presence, killing hundreds and displacing tens of thousands of people.
Nasrallah was regarded by supporters as a charismatic and shrewd leader. Despite being a divisive figure, he is credited with pushing Israeli forces from south Lebanon in 2000 following an 18-year occupation, as well as transforming the organization from a local militia to a major political player in Lebanon and a top armed force in the region.
He held tremendous sway over the group and the country’s Shiite community.
Orna Mizrahi, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based think tank Institute for National Security Studies, noted that Nasrallah was sometimes a “voice of reason” who was interested in engaging Israel in a war of attrition, holding the militant group back from using the full force of their formidable arsenal against Israel.
Filling those shoes will be a tough act, analysts say.
Growing tensions in Lebanon
Any new Hezbollah leader will also have to contend with rising resentment and frustration among a significant section of the Lebanese population. For years, critics say, Hezbollah deprived Lebanon of its sovereignty by behaving as a state within a state and making unilateral decisions involving war and peace.
Many Christians and Sunnis, as well as a portion of the Shiite community, are opposed to the war and what they regard as Nasrallah’s unilateral decision to attack Israel in support of the Gaza front on Oct. 8, a day after the Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war in the Palestinian territory.
Tensions are extremely high in tiny Lebanon, which is already drowning under the force of an economic meltdown and multiple other crises. A humanitarian crisis has rapidly unfolded with tens of thousands of people displaced, many of them sleeping in parks and makeshift shelters. Dozens of schools designated as sheltered became full within days.
The country is bankrupt and has been without a president and functioning government for two years. In the void, sectarian tensions and frustrations within the country could spiral into armed violence.
Maha Yahya, director of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center, said Hezbollah now has to contend with all of that as it struggles to regroup.
“And it will have to be more accommodating to Lebanon’s other political parties and communities,” she said.


Egypt reveals 2,000-year-old ruins discovered in Alexandria waters

A diver celebrates after one of the ancient relics was lifted out of the water in the Abu Qir Bay in Alexandria.
Updated 58 min 3 sec ago
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Egypt reveals 2,000-year-old ruins discovered in Alexandria waters

  • On Thursday, cranes slowly hoisted statues from the depths, while divers in wetsuits, who had helped retrieve them, cheered from the shore

ALEXANDRIA: Egypt on Thursday unveiled parts of a sunken city submerged beneath waters off the coast of Alexandria, revealing buildings, artefacts and an ancient dock, all dating back over 2,000 years.
Egyptian authorities said the site, located in the waters of Abu Qir Bay, may be an extension of the ancient city of Canopus, a prominent center during the Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years, and the Roman Empire, which governed for around 600 years.
Over time, a series of earthquakes and rising sea levels submerged the city and the nearby port of Heracleion, leaving behind a treasure trove of historical remains.
On Thursday, cranes slowly hoisted statues from the depths, while divers in wetsuits, who had helped retrieve them, cheered from the shore.
“There’s a lot underwater, but what we’re able to bring up is limited, it’s only specific material according to strict criteria,” Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi said.
“The rest will remain part of our sunken heritage,” he added.
The underwater ruins revealed by the ministry on Thursday include limestone buildings that may have served as places of worship, residential spaces and commercial or industrial structures.
Reservoirs and rock-carved ponds for domestic water storage and fish cultivation were also uncovered.
Other notable finds were statues of royal figures and sphinxes from the pre-Roman era, including a partially preserved sphinx with the cartouche of Ramses II, one of the country’s most famous and longest-ruling ancient pharaohs.
Many of the statues are missing body parts, including a beheaded Ptolemaic figure made of granite, and the lower half of a Roman nobleman’s likeness carved from marble.
A merchant ship, stone anchors and a harbor crane dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman eras were found at the site of a 125-meter dock, which the ministry said was used as a harbor for small boats until the Byzantine period.
Alexandria is home to countless ancient ruins and historic treasures, but Egypt’s second city is at risk of succumbing to the same waters that claimed Canopus and Heracleion.
The coastal city is especially vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, sinking by more than three millimeters every year.
Even in the United Nations’ best-case scenario, a third of Alexandria will be underwater or uninhabitable by 2050.


Pope Leo’s first international trip could be to Lebanon, cardinal says

Pope Leo XIV holds general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, August 20, 2025. (Reuters)
Updated 21 August 2025
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Pope Leo’s first international trip could be to Lebanon, cardinal says

  • Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, the patriarch of the Lebanese Maronite faithful, told the Al-Arabiya TV that Leo “will visit Lebanon”

ROME: Pope Leo XIV is planning to visit Lebanon this year on his first foreign visit, the country’s Catholic cardinal said, a trip that would give history’s first American pope a chance to speak in broad terms about peace in the Middle East and the plight of Christians there.
A visit to Lebanon could be the second leg of a planned visit to Turkiye at the end of November to commemorate an important anniversary with the Orthodox Church.
Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, the patriarch of the Lebanese Maronite faithful, told the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV that Leo “will visit Lebanon.”
“It’s unclear to be honest when he will visit, but he will visit anytime from now until December,” the cardinal said when asked about a possible visit. “There needs to be an agreement from the Vatican on when the visit will happen. But there are preparations for the visit, but it’s unclear until the Vatican’s announcement.”
Leo, like his predecessor Pope Francis, has consistently called for peace and dialogue in the Middle East, especially as Israel’s offensive rages on in Gaza.
The last pope to visit Lebanon was Pope Benedict XVI in September 2012 on what was the last foreign trip of his papacy.
A Vatican spokesperson on Thursday declined to confirm or deny a trip by Leo. But word of papal trips usually originates with the local church that will host the pope.
Pope Francis, who died on April 21, had long hoped to visit Lebanon, but the country’s political and economic instability prevented a visit during his lifetime.
The Mediterranean nation of around 6 million, including more than 1 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees, has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East and is the only Arab country with a Christian head of state.
However, the Vatican fears the country’s instability has been particularly dangerous for the continued presence of its Christian community, a bulwark for the church in the Mideast.
Lebanon is currently struggling to recover after years of economic crisis and a bruising war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that ended with a US and France-brokered ceasefire in November. Formation of a new, reformist government in November ended a two-year political vacuum and brought hopes of recovery but the situation remains tense.
Israel has continued to occupy five strategic points on the Lebanese side of the border and carry out near-daily airstrikes that it says aim to stop Hezbollah from regrouping. Hezbollah is under increasing domestic and international pressure to give up its remaining arsenal but has refused to do so until Israel withdraws and halts its strikes. There are fears of civil conflict if Lebanese authorities attempt to forcibly disarm the group.
About one-third of Lebanon’s population is believed to be Christian, though there is no official number since there hasn’t been an official census since 1932. The Maronites are the largest and most powerful sect and, by convention, Lebanon’s president is always a Maronite Christian.
Leo is already expected to travel to Turkiye at the end of November to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council. It was a trip Francis had intended to make in May.
The Vatican has not confirmed the Turkiye trip, but Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians and the host of the anniversary commemoration, has said Leo told him he wants to go.


Palestinian camps in Lebanon to start disarming

Updated 7 min 59 sec ago
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Palestinian camps in Lebanon to start disarming

  • Armed Palestinian groups in Lebanese refugee camps will start handing over their weapons to the authorities on Thursday, a joint committee said, following deal reached in May
  • Lebanese government has also tasked army to formulate plan to disarm Hezbollah

BEIRUT: Armed Palestinian groups in refugee camps in Lebanon will start handing over their weapons to the authorities on Thursday, a joint committee said, following a deal reached in May.
The announcement comes after the Lebanese government also tasked the army with formulating a plan to disarm the militant group Hezbollah by the end of the year.
“Today marks the beginning of the first phase of the process of handing over weapons from inside the Palestinian camps,” Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee chairman Ramez Dimashkieh said in a statement.
The process would begin with the Burj Al-Barajneh camp in Beirut, where an initial batch of weapons would be placed in the custody of the Lebanese army, Dimashkieh added.
An AFP photojournalist saw dozens of fighters in military fatigues holding Kalashnikov rifles as crowds gathered in front of the Beirut headquarters of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah movement.
A Palestinian security official told AFP on condition of anonymity that “Fatah will begin handing over its weapons in Burj Al-Barajneh camp within the framework of the coordination with the Lebanese army.”
Abbas visited Beirut in May and reached an agreement with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that all arms in Palestinian camps would be surrendered to the state.
A Palestinian security source at Burj Al-Barajneh camp said “Fatah’s initiative in beginning to hand over weapons is symbolic, and came as a result of an agreement between Aoun and the Palestinian president’s son, Yasser Abbas, who is currently visiting Beirut.”
It aims to “encourage the remaining (Palestinian armed) factions to take the same step,” the source said, noting that the other influential factions in the camp “have not yet decided to hand over their weapons.”
The Palestinian Authority does not exercise power over the remaining factions in the camps, most notably Hamas.
Lebanon has come under heavy US pressure to disarm Hamas’s ally Hezbollah after the Iran-backed Lebanese movement was dealt a massive blow during its war with Israel last year.
That conflict was the culmination of a year of hostilities launched by Hezbollah in support of Hamas after the Palestinian group’s October 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.
Lebanon hosts about 222,000 Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations agency UNRWA, with many living in overcrowded camps outside of the state’s control.


Israel army calls on hospitals, aid groups in north Gaza to prepare for evacuations

Updated 21 August 2025
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Israel army calls on hospitals, aid groups in north Gaza to prepare for evacuations

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military on Thursday said it had informed medical personnel and aid groups in northern Gaza to start making evacuation plans ahead of a military offensive to seize the area.
Israeli military officials this week informed “medical officials and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip... to prepare for the evacuation of the population to the southern Gaza Strip,” read the statement released by the military.
The announcement comes as the defense ministry this week approved an offensive to capture Gaza City and ordered the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
According to the statement, the military had informed relevant parties in Gaza to begin making plans to relocate hospital equipment to the south.
“The officers emphasized to the medical officials that adjustments are being made to the hospital infrastructure in the south of the Strip to receive the sick and wounded, alongside an increased entry of necessary medical equipment,” said the statement.


UNRWA chief warns many malnourished children will die in Gaza City operation

Palestinian women and children hold out empty pots in front of a charity kitchen in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.(AFP)
Updated 21 August 2025
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UNRWA chief warns many malnourished children will die in Gaza City operation

  • “We have a population that is extremely weak that will be confronted with a new major military operation”: Lazzarini
  • “Many of them will not survive,” he said of the children

GENEVA: The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency on Thursday voiced concern that children suffering from malnutrition in Gaza will die if emergency provisions are not immediately put in place during Israel’s Gaza City military operation.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that its data showed a six-fold increase in the number of children suffering from malnutrition in Gaza City since March.
“We have a population that is extremely weak that will be confronted with a new major military operation,” he told a Geneva press club meeting. “Many will simply not have the strength to undergo a new displacement.”
“Many of them will not survive,” he said of the children, addressing the audience in French. “It is a manufactured and fabricated famine. It is deliberate. Food has been used as an instrument of war,” he said.
In May, a global hunger monitor said that half a million people in the Gaza Strip faced starvation but stopped short of using the term famine.
Israel’s military agency that coordinates aid, COGAT, has previously said it invests considerable efforts to ensure aid reaches Gaza and has denied restricting supplies.