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The Israeli military had earlier said that Karaki was killed in the strike, which targeted what the military said was an underground compound where senior Hezbollah figures were meeting.
Hezbollah confirmed the death of commander Ali Karaki in an Israeli strike targeting a meeting of senior leaders
Hezbollah on Sunday confirmed that another top commander, Ali Karaki, died in the strike that killed Nasrallah in Lebanon. The Israeli military had earlier said that Karaki was killed in the strike, which targeted what the military said was an underground compound where senior Hezbollah figures were meeting.
Karaki was alongside Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was sheltered in a bunker when the Israeli jets bombed them on Friday. This development follows the Israeli military’s announcement of the killing of several high-ranking Hezbollah officials in a series airstrikes.
On Sunday, the Israeli military said Nabil Kaouk, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Central Council, was killed on Saturday. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah, and it was not known where the strike took place.
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Several Hezbollah commanders killed
Several senior Hezbollah commanders have been killed in Israeli strikes in recent weeks, including founding members of the group who had evaded death or detention for decades and were close to Nasrallah himself.
Hezbollah has also been targeted by a sophisticated attack on its pagers and walkie-talkies that was widely blamed on Israel. A wave of Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon has killed at least 1,030 people in less than two weeks, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Cross-border fire
The attacks have dealt a stunning succession of blows to Hezbollah after almost a year of cross-border fire, killing much of its leadership and revealing gaping security holes. Israel’s defence minister is now discussing widening the offensive.
Israel’s intensifying bombardment has increased fears the conflict could spin out of control, potentially drawing in Iran as well as the United States, Israel’s closest ally.
Nasrallah’s body was recovered intact from the site of Friday’s strike, a medical source and a security source told Reuters on Sunday. Hezbollah has not yet said when his funeral will be held.
The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, their latest round of warfare in four decades of on-off conflict, has been waged in parallel with Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas since the Iran-backed Palestinian group’s attack on Israel last Oct. 7.
(With agency inputs)
