Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in the Israeli airstrike on the militia's central headquarters in Beirut on Friday, the militant group confirmed. Why it matters: Nasrallah was arguably the most powerful figure in Lebanon, one of the most influential in the Middle East, and Iran's closest ally in the region.
Hezbollah said in a statement it is going to continue its struggle against Israel and stressed that Nasrallah's death "will only make the resistance stronger." Israel Defense Forces also said Hezbollah's southern front commander, Ali Karaki, was killed. Karaki had survived another Israeli assassination attempt days earlier. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed on Saturday that its commander in Lebanon, Brigadier Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan, was killed in the strike. How it happened: In an operation codenamed "New Order," the IDF dropped dozens of 2000-lb. bunker-buster bombs on Hezbollah central headquarters, which it said was located in an underground bunker below a compound of six residential buildings in southern Beirut.
Lebanon's health ministry said at least six people were killed and 91 wounded in the massive strike, which leveled multiple large apartment buildings. That toll is likely to increase. Zoom out: More than 720 people have been killed in Lebanon as 11 days of intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated into war.