Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been killed, the Iran-backed group has said, confirming his death after the Israeli military said it had eliminated him in an airstrike in Beirut yesterday.
His death marks a devastating blow to Hezbollah, as it reels from an intense campaign of Israeli attacks.
It is also a huge blow to Iran, removing an influential ally who helped build Hezbollah into the linchpin of Tehran's constellation of allied groups in the Arab world.
Hezbollah said in a statement that it would continue its battle against Israel "in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defence of Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people".
It did not say how Mr Nasrallah was killed.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV started airing Koran verses after his death was announced.
The Israeli military said earlier that Mr Nasrallah was eliminated in a "targeted strike" yesterday on the group's underground headquarters beneath a residential building in Dahiyeh - a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut.
It said he was killed along with another top Hezbollah leader, Ali Karaki, and other commanders.
"The strike was conducted while Hezbollah's senior chain of command were operating from the headquarters and advancing terrorist activities against the citizens of the State of Israel," it said.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Mr Nasrallah's death is by far the most significant blow in a devastating fortnight for Hezbollah during which it suffered a deadly attack on thousands of wireless communications devices used by its members.
Israel also stepped up airstrikes that have killed several commanders and hit areas across much of Lebanon.
Yesterday's airstrike on Dahiyeh shook Beirut. A security source in Lebanon said the attack - a quick succession of massively powerful blasts - had left a crater at least 20 metres deep.
It was followed today by further airstrikes on Dahiyeh and other parts of Lebanon. Huge explosions lit up the night sky, and more strikes hit the area in the morning. Smoke rose over the city.
Hezbollah also continued its cross-border rocket fire, setting off sirens and sending residents running for shelter deep inside Israel. Israeli missile defences blocked some of them and there was no immediate report of injuries.
The escalation has increased fears the conflict could spin out of control, potentially drawing in Iran, Hezbollah's principal backer, as well as the United States.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel's war was not with the Lebanese people, calling Nasrallah the "murderer of thousands of Israelis and foreign citizens".
Hezbollah has been waging hostilities with Israel since the eruption of the Gaza war a year ago, when it opened fire declaring solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas.
Hezbollah has said it would cease fire only when Israel's Gaza offensive ends. Hamas and other allies of Hezbollah issued statements mourning his death
Nasrallah led Hezbollah through decades of conflict with Israel
Latest Middle East stories
No indication of who will be Nasrallah successor
Residents have fled Dahiyeh, seeking shelter in downtown Beirut and other parts of the city.
"Yesterday's strikes were unbelievable. We had fled before and then went back to our homes, but then the bombing got more and more intense, so we came here, waiting for Netanyahu to stop the bombing," said Dalal Daher, speaking near Beirut's Martyrs Square, refering to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Many Hezbollah supporters were in disbelief on Saturday.
"He was leading us. He was everything to us. We were under his wings," one supporter, Zahraa, told Reuters tearfully by phone from a school where she had been displaced to overnight.
Hezbollah gave no immediate indication of who might succeed Mr Nasrallah.
Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine has long been regarded as heir apparent.
The group has not issued any statement on Mr Safieddine's status or that of any other Hezbollah leaders - apart from Mr Nasrallah - since the attack.
