Funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to be held on Friday: Report

Hassan Nasrallah was killed after Israel launched an airstrike on Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut.

In Short

• Nasrallah was killed in Israel's airstrike on Beirut
• Protests broke out after his killing
• Hashem Safieddine announced as his successor

The funeral of top Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed after Israel launched an airstrike on the militant group's headquarters in Beirut, will be held on Friday, reports said. Nasrallah's killing marked a major escalation in the long-running conflict and deepened fears of a wider regional war.

In an exclusive, India Today's Ashraf Wani shared images of the six-storey building that was reduced to rubble following the Israeli airstrike.

Iran saw protests after news of Nasrallah's disappearance broke out. Demonstrators screamed "Down with the US," "Down with Israel," and "Revenge" while holding photographs of the assassinated Hezbollah commander. Iran has also demanded that the UN Security Council meet immediately in light of Hezbollah's sharply rising hostilities with Israel. Following Nasrallah's passing, Lebanon had proclaimed a five-day period of mourning.

Sirens were sounded in several parts of Israel following Nasrallah's killing. A projectile launched by Lebanon crashed into Israeli-occupied West Bank area but no injuries were reported. Sirens were also sounded on the outskirts of Jerusalem, which the Israeli military said were triggered by "a launch from Lebanon toward Israeli territory".

Soon after Nasrallah's killing, the Israeli' military also claimed to have eliminated Hassan Khalil Yassin, who headed a unit in Hezbollah's intelligence division that was tasked with locating Israeli military and civilian sites in Israel to be targeted.

The Iran-backed militant group announced that Nasrallah's cousin Hashem Safieddine would take over as the Hezbollah chief. Both Nasrallah and Safieddine had joined the militant group in its early days.

Israel announced on Monday night that it had begun "targeted ground raids" in southern Lebanon despite international appeals for restraint.

In retaliation, over 100 rockets were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel. However, the Israeli military claimed that no injuries were reported. The Jewish nation carried out overnight strikes targeting central Beirut in which six people died, and eight others were injured.

A further 46 people were killed and 85 injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon in the previous 24 hours, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.