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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in attack in Beirut, Israeli army says
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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in attack in Beirut, Israeli army says

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel said Saturday it has killed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallahwhich dealt the biggest blow to the Lebanese militant group after months of fighting. There was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah.

Nasrallah becomes the latest and by far most powerful target to be killed by Israel in weeks of intense fighting with Hezbollah. The military said several top Hezbollah commanders were killed along with Nasrallah powerful airstrike Friday. The army said it carried out a precise airstrike as Hezbollah leadership met at its headquarters in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut.

Israel’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said on Saturday that Nasrallah’s elimination was “not the end of our toolbox.” He said the attack on Hezbollah’s leadership was the result of a long preparation period.

Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, and other Hezbollah commanders were also killed in the attack, the Israeli military said. Lebanon’s health ministry said six people were killed and 91 injured in Friday’s strikes, which razed six apartment buildings.

The Israeli army said it was mobilizing additional reserve soldiers Tensions with Lebanon are escalatingactivating three battalions of reserve soldiers after sending two brigades to northern Israel earlier this week to train for a possible ground invasion.

On Saturday morning, the Israeli army carried out several attacks in southern Beirut and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. Hezbollah launched dozens of projectiles in northern and central Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Smoke rose and streets were empty in Beirut’s southern suburbs after heavy Israeli airstrikes hit the area overnight. Shelters for displaced people in the city center were overcrowded. Many families slept in public squares and beaches or in their cars. On the roads leading to the mountains above the capital, hundreds of people could be seen making an exodus on foot, carrying babies and whatever belongings they could carry.

At least 720 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon over the past week, according to the Health Ministry.

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Mroue reported from Beirut.