BEIRUT: The killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on the suburbs of Beirut has sparked international condemnation as world powers warned of the killing’s potential repercussions, with the spectre of all-out war looming over the Middle East. Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that Nasrallah, who led the group for decades, was killed in the attack.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref warned that the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike in Lebanon would ultimately lead to Israel’s ” total destruction”.
The Iranian Vice President’s remarks followed Lebanon’s Hezbollah confirming Nasrallah’s death after Israeli forces claimed to have “eliminated” the Hezbollah chief in a targeted strike on Friday in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
“We warn the leaders of the occupying regime that the unjust bloodshed… especially of Hezbollah’s secretary general, martyr Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, will bring about their destruction,” Aref was quoted as saying by Iran’s ISNA news agency.
Aref vowed Iran’s unwavering support for Hezbollah and the broader “Islamic resistance” movement, as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah intensify. Iran has long been a key supporter of the Lebanese group.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has strongly criticized Israel’s “short-sighted” policy after overnight strikes in Lebanon, that Israel claimed killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
In a statement, Khamenei condemned the strikes as a “massacre of defenseless people,” highlighting the brutality of the “Zionist rabid dog.” He criticized the “short-sighted and stupid policy” of Israeli leaders.
Khamenei said that Israel is “too weak to cause significant damage to the solid construction of Hezbollah in Lebanon,” and he urged the “Axis of Resistance,” to support Hezbollah. He concluded with a warning that “Lebanon will make the aggressor and the evil enemy regretful.”
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of being complicit in the killing. “The United States shares responsibility for this crime,” Pezeshkian stated, adding that Hezbollah’s fight against Israel would continue.
Iran’s foreign ministry said the path and mission of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah will continue despite his assassination in an Israeli air strike in Beirut, after a year of cross-border clashes between the two sides.
Nasser Kanani, the ministry’s spokesman, said that the “glorious path of the leader of the resistance” would continue towards the liberation of Quds (Jerusalem).
Iranian Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed his condolences, describing Nasrallah as a “symbol of the fight against oppression.”
World powers voiced concerns over the escalating situation. Russia’s foreign ministry condemned the killing as a “political murder” and called on Israel to halt its military actions in Lebanon, stating that Israel would bear full responsibility for the consequences.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that the assassination could lead to the destabilization of Lebanon, something she said would not serve Israel’s security interests.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” by the “dramatic escalation” seen in Lebanon in the past day as Israel assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in the capital Beirut.
“The secretary-general is gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut in the last 24 hours,” Guterres said following Hezbollah’s announcement its chief Hassan Nasrallah had been killed.
Hamas condemned the killing as a “cowardly terrorist act.” The Palestinian resistance group described the Israeli airstrike as “barbaric aggression” targeting residential buildings.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas extended condolences to Lebanon and decried the Israeli attack, while Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called the strike a “shameful attack” that crossed all red lines.
Syria’s foreign ministry also criticized the killing, accusing Israel of acting with “barbarism” and ignoring international law. “The Zionist entity (Israel) confirms through this despicable aggression, once again… its barbarism and wanton disregard for all international standards and laws,” said a foreign ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA.
In Yemen, Houthis vowed that Nasrallah’s death would fuel their resolve in the fight against Israel. The group said, “The martyrdom of Hassan Nasrallah will increase the flame of sacrifice, the heat of enthusiasm, the strength of resolve” against Israel.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Lebanon after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was confirmed among hundreds killed in Israeli strikes this week.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Erdogan condemned Israel’s military actions since the start of its offensive in Gaza on October 7. “Lebanon and the Lebanese people are the latest target of a policy of genocide, occupation and invasion carried out by Israel since October 7,” Erdogan said, without directly referring to Nasrallah’s death.
He reiterated his stance, saying, “No person with a conscience can accept, excuse, or justify such a massacre,” and called for an end to Israel’s “mindless” attempts to spread the conflict across the region.
