BEIRUT 

Hezbollah announced on Saturday that its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has been ‘martyred’ following what it described as a "treacherous Zionist raid" on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

In a statement, Hezbollah declared: “Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has joined his great and immortal martyred comrades, whose path he led for about thirty years, becoming a martyr on the road to Jerusalem and Palestine."

The statement emphasized Nasrallah's decades-long leadership in the resistance against Israel, noting that his dedication to the cause of Palestinian liberation defined his life and now his “martyrdom.”

Nasrallah, who had been Hezbollah's secretary-general since 1992, played a key role in the Lebanese resistance movement, particularly in its confrontations with Israeli forces.

His death marks a significant moment in the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

The Hezbollah statement concluded by reaffirming the group's commitment to Nasrallah’s mission, saying: "His martyrdom will only strengthen the resolve of the resistance to continue the struggle against the Zionist enemy and liberate Palestine."

Earlier in a statement on Saturday, the Israeli army claimed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was “liquidated” during an operation targeting the central command of Hezbollah located beneath a residential building in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Since Monday, the Israeli army has launched its "most intense and wide-reaching" assault on Lebanon since its confrontations with Hezbollah began about a year ago.

In response, Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli military sites, settlements, and even the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv, with a strict blackout on Israeli casualties and damage, according to observers.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,600 victims, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of turning the Gaza conflict into a regional war.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara