Live: Israel ramps up strikes on Gaza after Iran attack

Lebanon's Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed after Israel launched a series of air strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, a day earlier.

In an assassination that risks triggering all-out war in a region already on the brink, Israeli fighter jets dropped approximately 10 bunker-busting bombs on residential buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area colloquially known as Dahiyeh, on Friday.

Footage seen by Middle East Eye showed thick plumes of smoke rising from the blast site.

The Israeli military immediately confirmed it was behind the strikes and initially claimed it targeted Hezbollah's command centre. Later, Israeli media reported that Nasrallah, 64, was the intended target of the strikes, but did not confirm his death.

On Saturday, the Israeli army posted a message on X, saying: "Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorise the world."

Read more: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in Beirut strike, group confirms

Hamas has expressed its condolences for the loss of Hezbollah's Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed following Israeli air strikes on Beirut.  

Hamas condemned the "brutal Israeli aggression" against residential buildings in the southern suburb of Beirut.

"The leadership of Hezbollah pledges to the supreme, holiest, and most beloved martyr in our path filled with sacrifices and martyrs that it will continue its jihad against the enemy and in support of Gaza and Palestine, defending Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people," added the group in their statement. 

In a statement released on Saturday, Hezbollah confirmed that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed yesterday in an Israeli strike, calling him a "martyr on the path to Jerusalem and Palestine".

"His eminence, the leader of resistance, the righteous servant has departed to be with his lord and his pleasure, a great martyr, a courageous and wise leader, joining the ranks of the luminous martyrs of Karbala in the divine and faith-filled journey, following the path of the prophets and the martyred imams," said Hezbollah in a statement. 

"His eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, has joined his esteemed martyrs who have remained immortal. For nearly 30 years, he led them from victory to victory, succeeding the master of martyrs of the Islamic Resistance in 1992, through the liberation of Lebanon in 2000, to the divine victory in 2006 and in all battles of honour and sacrifice, culminating in the battle of support and heroism for Palestine, Gaza, and the oppressed Palestinian people," the statement read.

This is breaking news, we will have more on this soon. 

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that he does not personally care about what he referred to as the "Palestinian issue", according to a report in the Atlantic.

Published on Wednesday, the report gave a picture of 11 months of Washington's negotiation efforts in the region after the outbreak of war in Gaza, citing "two dozen participants at the highest levels of government in America and across the Middle East". 

It stated that during a visit to Saudi Arabia in January, Blinken and the crown prince met in the Saudi city of al-Ula to discuss the prospect of the Gulf kingdom normalising relations with Israel amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. 

Months earlier, Riyadh had appeared to be making progress in forming ties with Israel during US-led discussions, which were later derailed by the outbreak of war on 7 October. 

If a normalisation deal were to occur, the crown prince expressed to Blinken a desire for calm in Gaza. 

Read more: Saudi crown prince said he personally 'doesn't care' about Palestinian issue

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA) has reported that Air France, Aegean Airlines, British Airways and Iberia have cancelled flights to Israel following its announcement about the attempted assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Iran is expected to approve the deployment of troops to Lebanon in the coming days, according to an Iranian official quoted by NBC. 

"With public registration, officials will certainly grant permission for the deployment of forces to Lebanon and the Golan Heights," said Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, Iran's deputy for international affairs.

"We can send forces to Lebanon to fight against Israel, just as we did in the year 1981."

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei spoke this morning, saying: "The Zionist entity is too small to deal a significant blow to Hezbollah's strong structure."

Khamenei stressed that "the fate of the region is determined by the resistance forces, led by Hezbollah", and criticised Israel's leadership, stating: "The terrorist gang ruling the Zionist entity has not learnt a lesson from its criminal war in Gaza."

Expressing solidarity with Hezbollah, Khamenei said: "All resistance forces in the region stand by Hezbollah and support it."

"It is the duty of all Muslims to stand with the Lebanese people and Hezbollah to confront the malicious Zionist entity," he further added. 

Khamenei also condemned the killing of civilians in Lebanon, describing it as proof of "the ferocity and fury of the Zionist entity and the shortsightedness and stupidity of its leaders".

The Israeli army announced that its operation to assassinate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was designated “New Order”. 

The Israeli army said on Saturday that it had killed Nasrallah following a series of air strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, a day earlier. The assassination raises the risk of triggering an all-out war in a region already teetering on the edge.

Al Jazeera Arabic reported that two Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike that targeted a house north of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

According to the Lebanese paper L'Orient-Le Jour:

• Israeli warplanes have struck Jabal Blat in Marjayoun, southern Lebanon.

• Israeli artillery continues to shell Shebaa in Hasbaya, this time hitting a medical centre.

• An Israeli air raid targeted the road linking Habbariyeh and Shebaa, followed by artillery bombardment.

• Another strike hit the outskirts of Tayr Debba and Jouwaya in Tyre.

According to MTV Lebanon, Israel hacked into the control tower system at Beirut’s airport and issued a warning to an Iranian passenger plane, instructing it not to land.

Following the warning, Lebanese authorities reportedly blocked the aircraft from entering the country’s airspace.

The National News Agency reported that public works minister Ali Hamieh directed the airport to inform the Iranian plane not to approach or land in Lebanon

Israel said its warplanes are patrolling the area near Beirut’s airport to ensure it is used only for “civilian purposes”, hinting at a potential threat to target the airport.

Israeli forces previously bombed Beirut airport in 2006.

Hezbollah has announced that it launched a barrage of rockets targeting the Israeli settlement of Sa'ar. 

The strikes are in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Friday.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been moved to a secure location within the country amid increased security measures, according to two regional officials briefed by Tehran, as reported by Reuters.

The sources also said Iran has been in constant communication with Hezbollah in Lebanon and other regional allies to discuss the next steps after Israel said it killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on southern Beirut last Friday.