Israel Kills Leader of Lebanese Hezbollah (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Sept. 30, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IN12431 |
| Report Type |
Insight |
| Authors |
Clayton Thomas; Jim Zanotti |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
On September 27, 2024, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime SecretaryGeneral of Lebanese Hezbollah. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the United States was not
involved and had no advance warning. Nasrallah’s killing comes after a series of other Israeli operations
against Hezbollah and raises questions about the group’s future capabilities and strategic calculations,
along with those of Israel, Iran, and the United States. Hezbollah is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist
Organization, a longtime adversary of Israel, and arguably the most powerful of the armed groups Iran
backs across the Middle East. The latest round of Hezbollah-Israel fighting has been ongoing since
October 2023, when Hezbollah began launching projectiles into northern Israel in stated solidarity with
Hamas (another FTO and Iran-backed group). Related issues for Members of Congress include U.S.
assistance to Israel and to Lebanon’s armed forces; the deployment of U.S. military forces to the region;
and the protection of U.S. citizens, whom the State Department has urged to depart Lebanon.
