Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, is by far the most powerful target to be killed by Israel in weeks of intensified fighting with Hezbollah. The Israeli military said it carried out a precise airstrike on Friday while Hezbollah leaders were meeting at their headquarters in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has yet to comment on Hassan Nasrallah's whereabouts or health since the bombing.

Under his leadership, Hezbollah, funded by Iran, became one of the most powerful militias in the Middle East, boasting a military force stronger even than the Lebanese army.