Israel preparing for limited ground incursion into Lebanon - ABC

In his first public statement following the Israeli killing of Hassan Nasrallah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Nasrallah was the "main engine" of Iran's axis of evil, whose elimination was a necessary step toward shifting the balance of power in the Middle East.

Netanyahu also warned that Israel's work is not yet complete and that challenging days lie ahead.

“I say to the Ayatollah’s regime (of Iran): whoever beat us, we will beat them,” he said. “There is no place in Iran or the Middle East that the long arm of Israel will not reach, and today you already know how true this is."

Netanyahu said that Israel had arrived at a “historic turning point.”

“We are determined to continue to strike at our enemies, return our residents to their homes, and return all our abductees. We do not forget them for a moment,” he said.

The Israeli prime minister made the remarks shortly after arriving back in Israel following a trip to New York, which he cut short after ordering the IDF operation targeting Nasrallah.

A senior Israeli official earlier told The Telegraph that Netanyahu's address to the UN “was part of a diversion” intended to make Hezbollah’s leader believe that Israel would not take dramatic actions while Netanyahu was physically in the United States.

UK Foreign Minister David Lammy says he spoke today with Lebanon's prime minister following the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

"We agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the bloodshed. A diplomatic solution is the only way to restore security and stability for the Lebanese and Israeli people," he said.

The Head of the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces of Iran confirmed Nilforoushan’s death on Saturday, saying: "We consider the pursuit of justice for this martyr to be the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran under international legal conventions."

Born in Isfahan in 1966, Nilforoushan began his military activities in the 1980s joining the Basij and later the IRGC, holding various positions including Deputy Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces for Operations.

Iranian media outlet Student News Network (SNN) described Nilforoushan as a “key figure” with extensive battlefield experience who played a crucial role in supporting the “Resistance Axis, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian resistance groups,” helping to strengthen their capabilities against Israel.

Following the assassination of IRGC General Mohammad Reza Zahedi in an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus in April, Nilforoushan “assumed command of the Lebanon front,” according to the Tehran-based Fararu website.

Nilforoushan was killed in an Israeli attack on a meeting between Nasrallah, top Hezbollah members, and IRGC commanders. In a statement about Nasrallah's death, Khamenei said that the meeting was focused on designing a military plan to counter the recent wave of Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

'Sanctioned for suppressing protests'

Nilforoushan was sanctioned by the United States in October 2022 in a round of sanctions targeting Iranian officials involved in the crackdown on nationwide protests, which erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s mandatory hijab laws.

In a statement, the US Treasury noted that Nilforoushan “played a critical role in arresting protest leaders during previous protests” and described him as an experienced IRGC commander who had also served as a military adviser during the Syrian Civil War.

Amid Iran’s nationwide protests, Nilforoushan took to social media with a message that appeared to blame the US for stoking unrest, saying: "Listen, Mr. Biden, this is not a country that can be overthrown by media operations. To bring down Iran, you would have to pass through a sea of blood, and you do not have the capability to cross it."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a message on Hassan Nasrallah's death the Resistance Front will deal more crushing blows on the "dilapidated and decaying body" of Israel.

Khamenei described Nasrallah as a "wise political leader" who, at the time of his death, was "busy planning to defend the defenseless people of Beirut's southern suburbs and their destroyed homes and beloved ones who have perished."

Iran's Supreme Leader said, "The foundation that Nasrallah established in Lebanon and provided direction to other centers of power will not disappear with his loss but will be strengthened by blood of the Hezbollah chief and other martyrs of the Beirut attack."

He also said that "the evil Zionist regime failed to achieve victory in this incident."

The Israeli Air Force "eliminated" Hassan Khalil Yassin, a senior official within Hezbollah's intelligence array, in a strike in the Dahieh area of Beirut, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday.

"Yassin stood at the head of a department responsible for the identification of civilian and military targets, on the northern border and deep within Israeli territory," the statement added.

"As part of his role, Yassin collaborated intensely with all of Hezbollah's offensive units, was personally involved in the planning of terror attacks that were executed during the war against Israeli civilians and soldiers, and planned additional attacks to be carried out in the coming days," the IDF said.