Hassan Nasrallah led the extremist organization Hezbollah for more than 30 years.
12:29•Updated 12:31
The Israeli armed forces say they have killed the top leader of the extremist organization Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday.
There is still conflicting information about Nasrallah’s fate. Iran-backed Hezbollah has not commented on the matter so far.
A source close to Hezbollah told the news agency AFP in the morning that the connection with Nasrallah has been broken since Friday evening.
If Israel’s claim is true, it will be a significant blow to the Iranian-backed Shia Muslim extremist organization operating in Lebanon.
Nasrallah led Hezbollah for more than 30 years, making him one of the most famous and influential figures in the Middle East.
Feared for years an Israeli assassination
Born in 1960, Nasrallah became the leader of Hezbollah in 1992, when he was only 32 years old, The BBC reports.
Within the extremist organization’s ranks, Nasrallah was a respected leader who became known for his close personal ties to Iran.
Nasrallah oversaw the evolution of Hezbollah from a paramilitary force defending Lebanon into a major military force that today is stronger than the Lebanese army.
Over the years, under Nasrallah’s leadership, Hezbollah also helped train fighters of the extremist organization Hamas operating in Gaza, as well as militias in Iraq and Yemen. The Hezbollah leader also used his Iran relations to acquire missiles and rockets for use against Israel.
However, Nasrallah has not appeared in public for years. The background has been the fear of an assassination carried out by Israel.
Nasrallah gave his last public speech in September. At the time, he accused Israel of blowing up pagers and walkie-talkies used by thousands of Hezbollah members in Lebanon.
In his speech, Nasrallah described the series of attacks that killed 39 people and wounded thousands as “unprecedented”, and said that Israel had crossed “all red lines” with the strikes.