Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in Beirut air strike, Israel says

The Israeli military has said they killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike in Beirut.

The military said Friday's strike was carried out while the Hezbollah leadership was meeting at their headquarters in Dahiyeh.

Mr Nasrallah has been the leader of militant political group Hezbollah for more than three decades.

Hours before the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, vowing that his country’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue — further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire.

Mr Netanyahu abruptly cut his United States visit short and returned to Israel.

Mr Nasrallah has been in hiding for years, rarely appearing in public. He regularly gives speeches, but always by video from unknown locations.

More than 720 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict escalated on Monday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

The United Nations says the number displaced by the conflict from southern Lebanon has more than doubled, with more than 211,000 people affected.