Syrians in the country’s northwestern area celebrated in the streets and handed out candy following reports that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed by an Israeli airstrike, according to videos circulating on social media.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, is responsible for fueling a brutal civil war in the country, propping up dictator Bashar Al-Assad as he works to crush a rebellion that has long threatened his grip on power.
Nasrallah is bitterly hated by anti-Assad Syrians, and his suspected death Friday in an Israeli strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in downtown Beirut prompted throngs of people to celebrate in the street. Israel is still working to confirm whether Nasrallah was killed, with its military leaders promising an update as soon as they know more, the Jerusalem Post reported. Preliminary reports in Israel expressed “cautious optimism” that Nasrallah is dead.
In Syria, meanwhile, groups of people could be seen dancing in the streets, with sweets being handed out to passing cars and other bystanders.
Israel confirmed late Friday it used a “highly precise strike to target Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was hiding in civilian buildings in the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut.” Hezbollah’s patrons in Iran promised that the terror group will survive with or without him.
Following a day of hurried ceasefire negotiations at the United Nations, Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed both sides to “stop firing” and give in to U.S. demands for a temporary ceasefire.
“The most important thing to do through diplomacy is to try first to stop firing in both directions, and then to use the time that we would have in such a ceasefire to see if we can reach a broader diplomatic agreement,” Blinken said during a news conference.
The secretary of state’s plea came just hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, promising to deal Iran a crushing blow if it dares attack the Jewish state.
“I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran,” he said. “If you strike us, we will strike you.”
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