Iran's president blames US for attack that killed Nasrallah

The official account of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on X posted: "The Zionist criminals need to know that they are far too weak to be able to inflict any significant damage on the solid structure of Lebanon’s Hezbollah."

This follows Khamenei's earlier statement, where he called on Muslims "to stand by the people of Lebanon," notably without mentioning Hassan Nasrallah.

Mohammad-Javad Larijani, a former top advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, described the attack that killed Hassan Nasrallah as the result of a "serious informational and security breach" within the Tehran-supported regional militia, referred to as Resistance. He said that the "Zionist regime managed to exploit vulnerabilities, causing significant damage," whether through "pagers or other gaps," and stressed that "even the recent bombing was the result of infiltration."

Hashem Safieddine, a key figure in Hezbollah's political and social efforts, is seen as a potential successor to Hassan Nasrallah as Secretary General of Hezbollah, according to three senior Israeli defense officials cited by The New York Times. Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, was notably one of the senior leaders not present at the site of the strike that killed several Hezbollah commanders.

In a statement on Saturday, Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, confirmed that Israeli attacks in Beirut had killed "a group of Hezbollah and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders." He emphasized that "overcoming this sensitive stage requires unity under Khamenei’s leadership."

The spokesperson for Iran Air has announced the suspension of the airline's flights to Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut until further notice, domestic media reported.