Interception when terrorist are preparing to attack against us. Those of the types of things that youve been seeing. n those of the types of things that youve been seeing. On the matter of all that youve been seeing. On the matter of all the that youve been seeing. On the matter of all the weaponry that youve been seeing. On the matter of all the weaponry that L Matter of all the weaponry that you say hezbollah still has pointing at israel, hezbollah is still firing rockets into israel. What youve done so far hasnt eliminated the threat that you wanted to eliminate. Well, nice Roll Up, for the last 20 years, has been building a vast armoury of rockets, missiles and drones. More than most european countries, something like 200,000 rockets and missiles and drones. Thatjust goes to show that it wont be over anytime soon without either a surrender on their behalf or a diplomatic agreement. From our perspective, the military has instructions to restore Safety And Security to the north of israel. That can be done through taking out the leaders that are instructing these attacks against israel. As you said and reported, the leadership of hezbollah has in the last week been effectively decapitated. I would say that organisation needs to take very seriously if they want to pursue more attacks against israel. The idf is charged with responding and with the responsibility of maintaining security, securing the safety of the people of israel, it israelis that just want to get back to their homes, back to cultivating their land. These have all been distracted by hezbollah in the last year under the instruction of nasrallah since the 8th Of October Last year. Precisely because thats what he built this capability for. That has to change. When we conducted this operation, its precisely because we need a new order in this situation. I because we need a new order in this situation. This situation. I want to ask ou this situation. I want to ask you also this situation. I want to ask you also about this situation. I want to ask you also about the this situation. I want to askl you also about the lebanese people. Nearly 800 people have been killed in the last week and have. Head hezbollah may have his and its citizens hidden, but israel knows what will happen to the civilians who still find themselves there in the line of fire. Does israel accept any responsibility for those civilian deaths . Responsibility for those civilian deaths . ~ ,. civilian deaths . When you say they may civilian deaths . When you say they may have civilian deaths . When you say they may have positioned civilian deaths . When you say i they may have positioned these capabilities, i think there is absolutely no doubt that hezbollah intentionally, in an insidious way, positioned intentionally as a strategy their nerve centre, their headquarters, the rocket launchers, their initials all of their tools, and in around this arena there missiles. When we went after the headquarters of hassan a nice Roll Up last night, we understood that if we dont deal with it, it would be destruction by him and his his hisjihad his jihad counsel. Hisjihad counsel. Hassan nasrallah intentionally positioned his tools of terrorism behind the people of lebanon. Thats an observed request. I would say yes, we need to to man these Terrorism Tools be removed, we need to make sure they can be removed and for the improvement of israelis and lebanese together. Hamas has issued a statement in reaction to the killing of hezbollahs leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Posted on its telegram group, hamas said we mourn for our palestinians people and our arab and islamic nations. The martyr, sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of hezbollah, who was a martyred with other leaders during the Al Aqsa Storm battle and on the way leaders during the Al Aqsa Storm battle and on the way to freejerusalem, during his support to our palestinian people and our resistance against the zionist enemy. So, who was Hassan Nasrallah and how important a figure was he . Lets give you more details on his background and career. Born in 1960, Hassan Nasrallah grew up in beirut s Eastern Bourj Hammoud neighbourhood. He became leader of hezbollah in 1992 at the age of 32 after his predecessor was assassinated in an israeli helicopter strike. He played a Key Role in turning hezbollah into a major political and military force. Backed by iran, hezbollah also trained hundreds of fighters from the palestinian Militant Group hamas. Lets take a closer look now at the sequence of events leading up to the confirmation that Hassan Nasrallah had been killed. Heres our reporter meghan 0wen. On friday afternoon, israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells World Leaders at the Un General Assembly in New York that israel will continue to strike lebanon. Moments later, around 18. 21 local time on friday, there were reports of a huge explosion in the southern suburbs of beirut. Well, this is the moment that the bbc broke the news. Ben brown i want to show you the live pictures that are coming in to us from beirut, because there are pictures of a huge amount of black smoke over beirut. Well, our team in beirut from the bbc captured that explosion and this is that moment. Has attacked hezbollahs central headquarters. Moments ago, the Israel Defense forces carried out a precise strike on the central headquarter of the Hezbollah Terror Organisation that served as the epicentre of hezbollahs terror. In the following hours, we see scenes of utter devastation buildings reduced to rubble, fires and Rescue Workers searching desperately for the survivors. Reports emerge that hezbollahs leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was the target of the strike, but hezbollah sources sources tell various media that he is alive and safe. Well, shortly after 8pm in beirut, The Pentagon announces that the us had no Advance Warning of the strike. Having no involvement, having no knowledge that this strike i was actually going to occur, were still pulling for more details and trying to understand the operation itself. Meanwhile, benjamin netanyahus office, after releasing this photo, they say that shows him approving the strike in beirut from his hotel room. They announced that he will cut short his trip to New York and return to israel. Well, overnight, israel launches a fresh wave of strikes on hezbollah targets. We see smoke rising across the night sky. Beirut is under intense bombardment now. In the early hours of the morning, its unclear whether nasrallah is alive or not, according to a us official. Now, the city wakes up to thick smoke rising from central locations in a Southern Beirut suburb. Now, shortly before 11am local time, the Israeli Military Post On X that Hassan Nasrallah, in their words, will no longer be able to terrorise The World. And at 14. 30, hezbollah confirms the death of its leader and pledges to fight on. I was our reporter megan 0wen. That was our reporter megan 0wen. Lets speak to maha yahya, who is the director of the carnegie middle East Center in beirut. Thank you very much. I want to ask you for as well as the situation in your part of beirut . Situation in your part of beirut ..... ~ beirut . Good evening and thank ou for beirut . Good evening and thank you for having beirut . Good evening and thank you for having me. Beirut . Good evening and thank you for having me. The you for having me. The situation is quite tense. There is a lot of anxiety, people are worried about whats coming next. Some are grieving for Hassan Nasrallah, others are not. But there is a lot of tension. People are sleeping in the streets. The country now has, according to the minister of environment, close to around 1 Million displaced population, people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes because of israeli bombing. Last night, people were literally leaving with nothing On Theyjust had to leave their houses immediately and slept out in the open, parts wherever it was available. The situation is incredible he tends and incredibly tense and we dont know whats coming next. I and we dont know whats coming next... next. I saw that flashed on the a. En next. I saw that flashed on the agency wires next. I saw that flashed on the agency wires saying next. I saw that flashed on the agency wires saying that next. I saw that flashed on the agency wires saying that the L Agency wires saying that the number, as you mentioned, they report of people on the move, now at 1 report of people on the move, now at1 Million. Ijust wonder now at1 Million. Ijust wonder now in terms of the way you analyse where this goes from here, how fearful people are there and how fearful you are of this now triggering some kind of lighter exhalation . Kind of lighter exhalation . Wider kind of lighter exhalation . wider escalation. There are lots of concerns in front of the displaced. People dont really know where to go. Many of those who are displaced to the southern suburbs from the beka area. They have been the displaced again and they Cant Stay there. There is a lot of anxiety around that. Israel has not seized bombardment. Yesterday, it was almost 12 hours of relentless bombardment, which has continued this morning. So, the sense that, 0k, theyd taken out Hassan Nasrallah, theyve hit a lot of hezbollah arsenals, it will not stop here. The israeli government is not willing to take its win, so to speak. So, there is a lot of concern that this can escalate and can escalate very quickly. Everyones waiting to see what tehran is going to do now. So far, all indications is its not going to do much, at least for now. Were also waiting to see what the other partners in the access of resistance, way of whether they will take action or not. They have been firing some missiles, but its nowhere near what they were estimated to do in the past. And i know it seems like a very long time ago, but it was only a day or two ago that we were hearing these plans, this idea that there may be a 21 day Cease Fire. How quickly that seems to have disappeared, and yet the response from so many nations coming out in the last hour or so saying diplomacy is the only way forward. The only way forward. Well, everyone the only way forward. Well, everyone has the only way forward. Well, everyone has been the only way forward. Well, everyone has been saying l the only way forward. Well, L Everyone has been saying the policies the only way forward and the option given both to israel and his brother, but prominent Hezbollah Road itself into a corner by connecting itself. We all knew that should a Cease Fire be announced In Gaza, the one and lebanon will automatically follow. The israeli government, this particular israeli government, which as you know is the most right Wing Government the country because s ever seen, does not want a Cease Fire. The endgame in lebanon to us is not very clear. They say they want people to return to the north of israel. They wont return in these conditions. They say they want to eradicate hezbollah. Thats what they wanted to do with hamas and hamas is still alive and kicking. They tried eradicating hezbollah in 2006 it came back much stronger. Despite the heavy hits, it will reconstitute itself probably in time. This is an organisation. Hassan nasrallah was iconic in a very charismatic leader in his own constituency, but they will replace him with someone maybe not as charismatic, but they will replace him and they will reconstitute themselves. It is a political organisation, notjust it is a political organisation, not just a it is a political organisation, notjust a military. It is a political organisation, notjust a military. Thank you very much notjust a military. Thank you very much for notjust a military. Thank you very much for your notjust a military. Thank you very much for your time, notjust a military. Thank you i very much for your time, maha. I asked our Security Correspondent Frank Gardner how he views things at this moment. It all hinges on three questions. Hes kind of touched on them there. In the case of hezbollah, they are reeling, they are hurt, they are bleeding, their structure has been decapitated. Their Weapons Stubs have been blown up. But they still got a very big arsenal below ground, which includes these long range missiles. There will be some in the ranks that are begging for revenge. Theres a video on Social Media thats been verified that shows the son of Hassan Nasrallah screaming for revenge. There be many fighters who were injured in the pager attacks who will want revenge. The question is do they unleash this big long Range Arsenal of missiles trying to overwhelm israels arsenal. They could probably do that, but the response for israel would be catastrophic for lebanon. Remember that israel has got the united states at its back, helping it to protect for any further retaliation. Then it comes to iran they have hidden their leader in case he gets assassinated. Hezbollah was its Pet Project since the early 1980s. Was its Pet Project since the early1980s. Its was its Pet Project since the early 1980s. Its the torchbearer for the islamic revolution. Iran has other ways of responding other than directly. It could do it through the houthis in yemen, the militias in syria or iraq, or sending a load of fighters to replenish the ranks. Whats israel going to do. They will not take a Cease Fire now. Theyre going to want to carry this on. Its hard to see how they can finish this without either capitulation by hezbollah thats not going to happen or they have to go in on the ground. They have to deal with the weapons and blow them up, but its going to be bloody and far from easy. 0ne bloody and far from easy. One of the last things Hassan Nasrallah said before his death, if you come in to attack us, we viewed that as a historic opportunity. I attack us, we viewed that as a historic opportunity. Historic opportunity. I was auoin historic opportunity. I was going to historic opportunity. i was going to ask historic opportunity. I was going to ask you. Historic opportunity. I was going to ask you. The going to ask you. The difference between hamas, who israel has been fighting intensely since last october, and hezbollah. Is this an altogether different force . It altogether different force . It is altogether different force . It is a very different force because although there are similarities they both hate the israel state, they are both armed and funded by iran but hamas is tiny by comparison. They may have had a light what a lot more or a similar numbers of fighters, but there arsenal was 1. 0 compared to the sophistication of What Hezbollah has got. This is partly due to geography because gazais partly due to geography because gaza is built largely on sand. Youve only got to look at the pictures, its a very sandy, desert environment. Whereas South Lebanon s Hard Limestone Rock In Those Caves and tunnels, there is a labyrinth of them deep into southern lebanon. Its going to take a long time to find all of those. Theres going to be Booby Traps in all sorts of ambush opportunities. In 2006, i was part of the team that covered that particularly war between israel and hezbollah, and i remember clearly the head of the Israel Air Force saying, weve got this, no need for a ground incursion. They found they couldnt. They had to send in the army. When they sent in these, supposedly the most protected tanks in The World, they got a blood he knows from hezbollah. Neitherside they got a blood he knows from hezbollah. Neither side won. Some israeli commentators described as a fiasco. Hezbollah knew where to ambush. They have sophisticated Off Road minds, Weapons Supplied by iran Off Road mines. In a way, this is a case of Who Blinks First first. The israelis are crowing at what they see as a success. But this next phase aint going to be easy for them. Next phase aint going to be easy for them. You mentioned 2006. Easy for them. You mentioned 2006 that easy for them. You mentioned 2006. That was easy for them. You mentioned 2006. That was a easy for them. You mentioned 2006. That was a month easy for them. You mentioned 2006. That was a month or i easy for them. You mentioned l 2006. That was a month or so . Israel has been preparing since The End of that for a day like this. ,. The End of that for a day like this. ,... The End of that for a day like this thisi The End of that for a day like i this. This is this. As has hezbollah. This is really been this. As has hezbollah. This is really been foremost this. As has hezbollah. This is really been foremost in really been foremost in Israels Mine that this would happen. Israels mine that this would ha en. Israels mine that this would hauen. ,. happen. Yeah, because that ended inconclusively. Happen. Yeah, because that ended inconclusively. I ended inconclusively. I remember my colleaguejeremy remember my Colleague Jeremy Bowie remember my Colleaguejeremy Bowie in bow in covering it, i remember him saying this is unfinished business and it will indeed was jeremy bowen. At some stage, both sides know they will have to go back into they will have to go back into the wing together. But it did end with was the un resolution that stipulated that hezbollah was supposed her with