Tehran, Sep 29 (V7N) – Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has declared five days of national mourning following the death of Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday. The airstrike targeted Hezbollah’s command center in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.

In a statement released on Saturday, Khamenei condemned the attack, warning that Israel’s "enemies will not be released without revenge," and vowing that Nasrallah’s ideology would endure despite his assassination. Hezbollah confirmed the death of their leader on the same day, and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officially claimed responsibility for the targeted strike.

“I express my condolences for the martyrdom of the great Nasrallah and his martyred companions and declare five days of mourning in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Khamenei said in a message shared by state news agency IRNA.

Nasrallah led the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group for over three decades, during which Hezbollah rose to become a significant regional force. His death is a major blow not only to Hezbollah but also to Iran, which has long supported the group with military aid and strategic backing.

This comes as Iran has yet to retaliate for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, who was killed on Iranian soil in July. The dual loss of key allies has placed Tehran in a deep crisis, with mounting pressure to respond.

Instead of direct conflict with Israel, Iran has long pursued a strategy of proxy warfare, funding and arming groups like Hezbollah to wage conflict on its behalf. Observers now await Iran’s next move as tensions in the region continue to escalate.

The airstrike and Nasrallah’s death have further strained already fraught relations between Israel and Iran, with fears of retaliation growing in the wake of the Hezbollah leader’s assassination.

END/RH/AJ