IDF: Killing of Nasrallah ‘makes world a safer place’; Gallant hails action as historic
Military say terror chief had blood of thousands on his hands; defense minister says Israel ‘settled the score with mass murderer’
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday that Hezbollah terror chief Hassan Nasrallah had the blood of thousands on his hands, and his killing the previous day made the world a safer place.
“Nasrallah was one of Israel’s all-time greatest enemies. He posed a threat to Israeli citizens for decades, and his elimination makes the world a safer place,” Hagari said.
“It’s not over, Hezbollah has more capabilities,” Hagari said, noting that Israeli fighter jets were continuing to strike the terror group across Lebanon.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also hailed the operation, saying: “Yesterday the IDF carried out one of the most important targeted attacks in the history of Israel. This action settled a score of many years with mass murderer Nasrallah, whose hands were covered with the blood of thousands of civilians and soldiers.”
He added that it “sends a clear message… anyone who starts a war with Israel and tries to harm its citizens will pay a very heavy price.”
Along with his remarks in Hebrew, Hagari also gave an English-language statement in which he said Nasrallah was killed while planning imminent attacks against Israel.
Hagari said Nasrallah “had the blood of thousands of men, women and children on his hands. Israelis, Jews across the world, Lebanese, Americans, British, French, Syrians and other countless victims across the Middle East and beyond.”
The IDF spokesman noted that 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes since Hezbollah began attacking the country on October 8, and that the terror group had a declared plan “to carry out it’s own October 7, on a larger scale.”
Nasrallah and other top commanders of Hezbollah were killed Friday in a massive Israeli airstrike on their underground headquarters in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
Hagari said the strike was on a “legitimate military target.”
“Nasrallah intentionally hid his terrorist headquarters under residential buildings because Hezbollah intentionally uses Lebanese civilians as human shields,” he said.
In an English statement, Gallant said Nasrallah was responsible for the murder of thousands of Israeli civilians and soldiers as well as foreign citizens.
“To our enemies, I say: we are strong and determined. To our partners, I would say: Our war is your war. And to the people of Lebanon, I say: Our war is not with you. It’s time for change,” Gallant said.
Nasrallah’s killing was welcomed by many Israelis, who hoped that it would make their lives safer in the long term.
“Absolutely fantastic news, it should have been done a long time ago,” said David Shalev, a Tel Aviv resident.
Although he cast doubt on whether Nasrallah’s killing would end the fighting in the north, he said it sent a clear message to Israel’s foes in the region: “Don’t screw with us.”
In the coastal city of Rishon Lezion in central Israel, Shuli Diaz called Friday’s strike on Nasrallah “an amazing move.”
She said she hoped the Hezbollah leader’s death would bring peace after the war that was triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack. Hezbollah began attacking Israel on October 8, saying it was doing so in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
“I think that the elimination of Nasrallah will bring an end to the war,” Diaz said. “I believe that this will bring some sort of political resolution. I at least hope so.”
The IDF announced on Saturday it had given the operation to kill Nasrallah the codename “New Order.”
It was a message that resonated with Rami Steiner, another resident of Rishon Lezion.
“We are celebrating the death of the number one terrorist in the world,” he said. “This is an opportunity for a new era, a better world without terrorists.”
