By Abiola Olawale
Hassan Nasrallah, leader of a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party, Hezbollah has been killed in a military strike that occurred on Friday.
The Israeli military claimed it killed Hezbollah’s leader in an air attack on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Israeli military stated: “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorise the world.”
The Israeli military also claimed that Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, and additional Hezbollah commanders had been killed in the massive air strike in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh.
The New Diplomat reports that Nasrallah led Hezbollah through decades of conflict with Israel, overseeing its transformation into a military force.
He was born in Beirut in 1960 to a Shia family in Beirut’s impoverished suburb of Sharshabouk.
He joined Hezbollah in 1982, the year it was formed, following his involvement in the Amal movement, a political and paramilitary organisation.
After rising through its ranks, the 64-year-old led Hezbollah in conflicts with Israel and took part in the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
Under his leadership, the group was transformed into a regional military and political power.
