Global and regional leaders reacted on Saturday to news of the death of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli air strike on Beirut. Nasrallah is by far the most powerful figure to be targeted by Israel in weeks of clashes and exchanges of rocket fire along the Israeli-Lebanese border, prompting fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East.
Hezbollah
Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group confirmed that its leader and co-founder Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an air strike in Beirut the previous day as Israel bombarded the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
A statement from the group said Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs” and vowed to “continue the holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine”.
The Lebanese population is sharply divided on the role Hezbollah plays in politics, with some 30 percent professing significant trust in the movement and others deeply resentful, wanting the nation to be free from sectarian conflict.
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel's targeting of Nasrallah was “an essential condition to achieving the goals we set”.
Speaking of the late Hezbollah leader, Netanyahu added: “He wasn’t another terrorist. He was the terrorist.”
An Israeli military statement maintained that Nasrallah and other members of Hezbollah command were legitimate targets under international law.
The army also accused Nasrallah of having been behind the deaths of Israeli civilians and military personnel.
"During Hassan Nasrallah's 32-year reign as the secretary-general of Hezbollah, he was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, and the planning and execution of thousands of terrorist activities," the statement said.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant emphasised that Israel is not at war with the Lebanese people, saying Nasrallah had posed a threat to people everywhere. The Hezbollah chief "was the murderer of thousands of Israelis and foreign citizens. He was an immediate threat to the lives of thousands of Israelis and other citizens," Gallant said in a statement. "To the people of Lebanon, I say: Our war is not with you. It's time for change."
Hamas
Palestinian group Hamas said in a statement it mourned Nasrallah's death but added that his killing would only strengthen the militant group's resistance.
"Crimes and assassination by the occupation will only increase the determination and the insistence of the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon to go forward with all their might, bravery and pride on the footsteps of the martyrs ...," Hamas said in a statement.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims on Saturday "to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the ... wicked regime [of Israel]".
Iran’s supreme leader called Nasrallah “the flag-bearer of resistance” as he announced five days of public mourning for the late Hezbollah leader.
The Houthis
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, a Hezbollah ally in opposing Israel, vowed to continue their fight.
"The resistance will not be broken, and the Jihadist spirit of the Mujahideen brothers in Lebanon and on all fronts of support will grow stronger and bigger," the group said in a statement.
Russia
Russia strongly condemns Israel’s killing of Nasrallah, the foreign ministry said on Saturday, calling on Israel to stop hostilities in Lebanon.
“This forceful action is fraught with even greater dramatic consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East,” the ministry said in a statement.
United States
US President Joe Biden on Saturday called the Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah a “measure of justice” for his decades-long reign of terror.
Biden noted that the operation to take out Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’ massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023.
“Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a ‘northern front’ against Israel,” Biden said in a statement.
Read moreHezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, dead at 64, led a clandestine life on the run
China
China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing opposed any violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, urging all parties and especially Israel to immediately cool the situation.
China "opposes and condemns all action that harms innocent civilians and opposes any move that exacerbates conflict," the ministry said in a post on its website.
France
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called for an immediate end to Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon following a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart.
"The security and protection of civilians must be guaranteed, including that of French people in the region, which is also our priority," Barrot added in a statement.
Palestinian Authority
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas offered his condolences to Lebanon and Hezbollah, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said.
“The president extended his heartfelt sympathies to the Lebanese government and the brotherly people of Lebanon over the civilian casualties resulting from the ongoing Israeli aggression,” WAFA said.
Michel Aoun, former Lebanese president
In a statement mourning Nasrallah, former Lebanese president Michel Aoun referred to “the dangers our country is witnessing as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression which requires rising to the highest level of national solidarity that protects and fortifies our unity because that is the true salvation”.
Saad al-Hariri, former Lebanese prime minister
“The assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has plunged Lebanon and the region into a new phase of violence," former Lebanese prime minister Saad al-Hariri said in a statement. "It is a cowardly act condemned in its entirety by us, who paid dearly for the lives of our loved ones when assassination became an alternative to politics."
"May God have mercy on Sayyed Hassan and my sincere condolences to his family and comrades," he continued. "We often disagreed with the deceased and his party and met a few times, but Lebanon was everyone’s tent. In this extremely difficult phase, our unity and solidarity remain the foundation.”
Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Iraq’s prime minister
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said the killing of Nasrallah showed “the reckless desire to expand the conflict at the expense of all the peoples of the region and their security and stability”.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
