TRANSCRIPT
Depending on who you ask, he was a charismatic orator, a once beloved leader or a much-maligned terrorist mastermind.
But now, Hassan Nasrallah, who led Lebanese political and militant group Hezbollah for over three decades, has been assassinated in an Israeli air bombardment on Lebanon's capital Beirut.
In one of the most significant moments in a year of conflict in the Middle East, Nasrallah - often called the most influential politician in Lebanon - was killed along with a number of civilians.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the killing of the Hezbollah chief is a historical turning point.
"Nasrallah's assassination was an essential condition to achieving the goals we set. Returning safely the residents of the north to their homes and changing the balance of power in the region over the years. Because as long as Nasrallah lives, he would quickly restore the capabilities we took away from Hezbollah, and therefore I gave the order, and Nasrallah is no longer with us."
Lebanon’s government has declared three days of mourning for the death of Nasrallah, starting on Monday.
The Israeli military says in the attack on the Hezbollah leader it dropped 85 so-called "bunker buster" bombs on the densely populated Dahiyeh neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs.
The I-D-F says it caught Nasrallah unawares at a central command centre, destroying a number of surrounding residential buildings in the process.
While casualty numbers are expected to rise, rescue teams have so far confirmed the deaths of at least 11 people with over 100 wounded.
The strikes are controversial as the Geneva Convention states that these "bunker buster" bombs are forbidden in civilian neighbourhoods like Dahiyeh.
Now, hundreds of families, displaced by the attacks, are forced to sleep on beaches, in public squares or in their cars due to overflowing shelters set up in schools around Beirut.
Fatima Ziyada, a Syrian refugee, slept on the beach last night with her family and hundreds of strangers after fleeing Dahiyeh on a motorcycle as bombs rained down above her.
“I am a diabetic patient, I sat on the ground, I was not able to go out to get my children from my house, nor was I able to walk. I was screaming while the strikes were above us, we just want a safe place, we do not need clothes or aid or food or drink. We just want a safe place so that our children are not afraid, we left the Syrian war for the sake of the children, we came here and the same war happened."
And today, another wave of Israeli air strikes on Beirut and across Lebanon has killed 33 and wounded almost 200.
Lebanon's health ministry says at least 1,030 people have been killed in less than two weeks of Israel's bombings across the country, including 156 women and 87 children.
These are the worst attacks Lebanon has experienced in almost two decades, with Lebanese government minister Nasser Yassin telling Reuters about one million people have been displaced by the violence.
Najib Mikati, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister, says he went to the United Nations seeking peace but has returned to more emboldened and reckless Israeli aggression.
“In all the meetings I held at the United Nations, I felt from Lebanon's friends absolute support for us and an insistence on halting the Israeli aggression. But unfortunately, the law of the jungle that controls the world has made the Israeli enemy stall all efforts for a ceasefire and continue its war against Lebanon, because it does not care about the law or international legitimacy.”
Over 6,000 people have been wounded in the recent violence too and hospitals in the Lebanon's south have been overwhelmed.
Trauma surgeon Mohammed Daoud says more help is urgently needed.
"The number, extent, and severity of the injuries that we have seen, which I believe the whole world has seen, are terrifying. The medical and nursing staff are overwhelmed, and we appeal to international organisations for help. Our survival depends on it."
Israel's army chief, Herzi Halevi, says the elimination of Nasrallah is not the end of their war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has responded, saying the death of the Iran-backed leader will not go unavenged, and announced five days of mourning in Iran.
