Sunday, September 29, 2024

Iran Vows Vengeance after Assassination of Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah

THE OBSERVER: Iran’s supreme leader says Israel’s killing of Nasrallah will “not go unavenged”, as fears grow of spiralling conflict

Iran’s supreme leader has warned Israel that its assassination of Hezbollah’s veteran leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, will “not go unavenged”, as fears of a spiralling conflict in the Middle East grow.

As the shockwaves from Friday evening’s airstrike that killed Nasrallah reverberated through the region, and Israel continued to pound targets in Lebanon, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced five days of official mourning on Saturday and called for an urgent meeting of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Iran also called for the UN security council to meet over Israel’s actions in Lebanon and across the region.

Israel’s security forces were also put on high alert for possible retaliation, as experts warned the region was facing several scenarios following the killing, including the risk of a widening war that could draw Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer, into a direct conflict with Israel. » | Peter Beaumont in Jerusalem and William Christou in Beirut | Saturday, September 28, 2024