Hezbollah, the Lebanese party and militant group, announced on Saturday, the murder of its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in the Israeli raid that targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday. The statement read: "Our path full of sacrifices and martyrs will continue its jihad in confronting the enemy, in support of Gaza and Palestine and defence of Lebanon and its honourable people."
Saad Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister, said that the assassination of Nasrallah "has brought Lebanon and the region into a new phase of violence," stressing that "it is a cowardly act condemned in its entirety by us, who paid dearly for our loved ones when assassination became an alternative to politics."
He added: "We differed a lot with the deceased and his party and met a little, but Lebanon was everyone's tent, and in this extremely difficult phase our unity and solidarity remain the basis," stressing that "Lebanon remains above everyone."
Nevertheless, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemned "in the strongest terms this barbaric Zionist aggression and targeting of residential buildings in Haret Hreik in the southern suburb of Beirut, and we consider it a cowardly terrorist act, a massacre and a heinous crime, which proves once again the bloodiness and brutality of this occupation."
It added: "We remember with pride and honour his biography and career full of sacrifices for the sake of liberating Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the honourable positions supporting our Palestinian people, our valiant resistance and our legitimate rights, and his insistence on continuing the heroic support front for our people and our resistance in the flood of Al-Aqsa, despite the great sacrifices and the gravity of the challenges, until he was martyred while continuing the same approach of support and backing for the Palestinian people and their valiant resistance."
Moreover, the Islamic Jihad Movement mourned Nasrallah, saying: "It is a great honour for His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to be martyred facing and not turning his back, in a position of support and advocacy for our Palestinian people."
The Iranian Foreign Ministry mourned the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, saying: "The glorious path of the resistance leader will continue and his goal of liberating Jerusalem will be achieved."
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stressed on Saturday, in a statement, that "the Zionist criminals must know that they are too small to deal a significant blow to the national structure of Hezbollah," adding that "all the resistance forces in the region are with Hezbollah," and saying that "the fate of this region will be determined by the resistance forces, led by Hezbollah."
Additionally, Russia strongly condemned the assassination of Nasrallah, warning that it may have serious consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East. Russia called on Israel to cease fire.
Egypt denounced Israel's persistence in expanding the scope of the conflict with the continuation of its aggression against Lebanon, calling on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities and take the necessary measures to end the war, achieve an immediate, comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and spare the region the risk of slipping into an open regional war.
