Hassan nasrallah had been Secretary General of hezbollah for 32 years, overseeing its growth into the worlds most heavily armed non state army. He was born in lebanon in 1960, growing up in beirut� s eastern bourj hammoud district. He took over the leadership in 1992 when his predecessor was assassinated by israel. To thousands, maybe millions of Shia Muslims in lebanon and beyond, he was a hero. To israel, he was a wanted terrorist. Armed with up to the minute intelligence, the israeli Air Force targeted the underground bunker where hezbollah� s leadership was meeting. This is both a major escalation and a challenge to iran. Translation this is not | the limit of our capabilities. We must be very clear, there are more tools at our disposal and the message is simple anyone who threatens the state of israel will be reached, whether in the north, the south or even a more distant places. Or even in more distant places. Hezbollah� s power has been seriously weakened by the recent assassinations, the sabotage of its communications, and Air Strikes on its weapon dumps. But it still possesses powerful long range missiles, hidden underground. Will they now aim these at Tel Aviv and other cities in revenge . Will israel send troops into lebanon to find and destroy them 7 and can hezbollah recover from all these blows . I probably think they will fight on. Theyll take a few days to reorganise their Command And Control, that has been utterly destroyed by very good israeli intelligence and incredible tactics, but its not strategy. Hezbollah� s strategic ally is iran. Key to what happens next in the Middle East is what Ayatollah Khamenei decides. Iran has been humiliated but can it ill afford a war with israel. Frank gardner, bbc news. Some of those people who have left the suburbs of beirut, still around in the area now, are we are told being supported. They are trying to find ways to feed people and give them shelter, but we have also seen over the last week now, people fleeing from the southern part of lebanon, when those israeli Air Strikes started on monday. And also from the Bekaa Valley in the east. A lot of displaced people right now. We have talked about the difficulties of leaving the country. Most commercial airlines have stopped flying. In terms of land crossing, israel to the south is not an option for people to leave. And of course you have syria to the east. The un has said in the last few minutes that they think 50,000 syrians who were in lebanon, there was a large syrian Refugee Population in lebanon, a lot of them living very difficult lives. While lebanon has been going through a variety of crises, syrian refugees in this country, in many cases, have been blamed for taking resources and it has led to a real feeling of resentment towards them, and are really, really difficult life for many of those syrian refugees, who were fleeing war across the border. The un says they think 50,000 have now gone back into syria in the last week, trying to flee the ongoing fighting. In terms of those displaced people, our middle East Correspondent Hugo bachega has been getting the latest. Killing one of israels great enemies, the powerful Hezbollah LeaderHassan Nasrallah, seen here in a speech last week. He came to power more than 30 years ago, and transformed hezbollah into a major military and politicalforce, with the help of its main supporter, iran. An assassination that could have unpredictable consequences. Translation . ,. , translation of our many Strategies Translation of our many strategies for translation of our many strategies for lebanon, translation of our many strategies for lebanon, we | translation of our many strategies for lebanon, we have started to implement them. And this strike has been in preparation for a long time and was carried out at the right time, in a very sharp way. And now, we are starting to prepare the next moves. I underscore once again we are at high readiness on all fronts, all our Forces Readiness on all fronts, all ourforces are readiness on all fronts, all our forces are organised together. There will be good coordination, very good preparation. Preparation. Israel is indicating preparation. Israel is indicating its preparation. Israel is indicating its fight i preparation. Israel is indicating its fight against hezbollah will Continue, and its likely to include a Ground Incursion into southern lebanon. Overnight in beirut, or israeli Air Strikes and more residents urged to evacuate. More israeli Air Strikes. This is the central square in beirut and hundreds of people spent the night here after fleeing tahir, also in the mosque on that side. And on this side, tents have been set up. A lot of people say they dont know where they are going to go if the israeli air Continue. Translation . , translation certainly, in the end, War Translation certainly, in the end. War is translation certainly, in the end, War Is not translation certainly, in the end, War Is not beneficial translation certainly, in the end, War Is not beneficial for. End, War Is not beneficialfor anyone. Look at these people sleeping in the streets. I anyone. Look at these people sleeping in the streets. Sleeping in the streets. I ust want a Mi Sleeping in the streets. I ust want a roof over i sleeping in the streets. I ust want a roof over my i sleeping in the streets. Ijust want a roof over my head sleeping in the streets. Ijust want a roof over my Head Forj sleeping in the streets. Ijust want a roof over my head for Me And My want a roof over my head for Me And My sort want a roof over my head for Me And My son. His kids and his wife~ and my son. His kids and his wife~ they and my son. His kids and his wife. They have been searching all morning but have found nothing all morning but have found nothinu. , nothing. There were fresh rockets from nothing. There were fresh rockets from hezbollah i nothing. There were fresh i rockets from hezbollah into northern israel this morning. The group has been weakened, but its still powerful. It hasnt yet deployed its most sophisticated missiles, a calculation that could change. Hassan nasrallah may have been killed, but this has the potential to spark a regional war. ~ ,. , war. Well, it is indeed a significant war. Well, it is indeed a significant moment, war. Well, it is indeed aj significant moment, not war. Well, it is indeed a significant moment, notjust significant moment, not just here significant moment, notjust here in lebanon but for the wider Middle East. As the hours and days go on, we will see those continuing reactions coming in to that news in the last couple of hours that the large israeli strike in beirut Last Night killed the leader of hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. We will expect to see reaction from the region, and also as well from world leaders. It is a significant and dangerous moment for the Middle East, and as the reaction and responses happen, we will keep you Up To Date on bbc news. Happen, we will keep you uptodate on bbc news. Thank ou, we uptodate on bbc news. Thank you. We will uptodate on bbc news. Thank you. We will be uptodate on bbc news. Thank you, we will be back uptodate on bbc news. Thank you, we will be back with uptodate on bbc news. Thank you, we will be back with Anna L you, we will be back with Anna In Beirut later on bbc news. Lets remind ourselves exactly who Hassan Nasrallah was. He was the leader of the lebanon shiite Islamist Hezbollah Movement with close links to iran. One of the best known and most influential figures. Iran. One of the best known and most influentialfigures. Born in 1960, he grew up in beirut� s eastern neighbourhood. He became the leader of hezbollah in 1992 at the age of 32 after his predecessor was assassinated in an israeli helicopter strike. Assassinated in an israeli helicopterstrike. He assassinated in an israeli helicopter strike. He played a Key Role in turning Heads Dollar into a powerful political and military force. Under his leadership, he helped hezbollah Train Hundreds of fighters from the palestinian Militant Group hamas. He also obtained missiles and rockets from iran for use against israel. In his most recent speech, he blamed israel for Detonating Thousands Of Pagers And Walkie Talkies used by haswell are members which killed 39 people and wounded thousands more, and said it was all red lines. He acknowledged the group had sat a unprecedented blow. A week after that speech, israel say he is dead. Our Security CorrespondentFrank Gardner is here. From time to time, we have militant leaders killed and there is someone waiting in the wings to take over. This is a different order of magnitude. It is, i mean, look, hezbollah will have a succession plan. Three obvious contenders being talked about, and they too potentially have a limited Life Span given israel is determined to take apart this organisation and its entire Command And Control structure. It is very different, this is far more significant than the taking down of some Isis Or Alqaeda leader that most of us have never heard of. This man has been a central part of Middle Eastern politics, Love Him or loathe him, for the last 32 years. He has been the torchbearer for is ran� s Islamic Revolution and its entire for irans Islamic Revolution and its entire expansion across the Middle East. They are more than just a local Proxy Militia for iran in south lebanon. They have been trained, they have gone to the defence of president Bashar El Assad in syria and propped up El Assad in syria and propped up his regime. Many of their fighters have been there in the last few years and are Battle Hardened and experienced. But right now they are leaderless, rudderless and wounded, they are baying for revenge. The big question is what will iran do . Iran is their principal backer. When those Pager Explosions went off, one went off in the vicinity of the iranian ambassador. Some people might ask why the iranian ambassador has a pager belonging to a prescribed terrorist group. That shows how closely iran and hezbollah operate together. You said how powerful and well resourced hezbollah are, to what extent have they been weakened in the last few weeks . The Pager And Walkie talkie explosions went for their communications. The reason why they had these 20th century rather outmoded forms of communication was because Hassan Nasrallah himself had given an order not to trust mobile phones, because they are very easily hacked and tracked by Israeli Military intelligence. It is one of their specialities, kind of Military Cyber Hacking of communications. That of course meant they would have to find other ways of communicating. It hasnt completely stopped them communicating but its made it that much harder. It has sown a lot of mistrust and suspicion. But what they have also done the israelis, is to carry out a number of targeted assassinations. They have taken out about 15 members of the Hezbollah Leadership. The head of their so called Air Force. Hezbollah doesnt have planes or fighterjet but it has drones and missiles, and it took out the head of the drone programme. They have taken out someone who i think i am right in saying was ahead their southern command, south lebanon, where they are most active. Was the head of their southern command. The head of that whole organisation has been removed. They have been doing targeted Air Strikes on ammunition dumps, weapons supplied, a lot of which because they are in residential areas have killed lebanese civilians who are nothing to do with hezbollah. Israel says we warned them to get away, but the fact is the civilian Death Toll is unacceptably high. But israel is on a roll, they think they have hezbollah on the ropes, on the back foot, they are determined to press home their advantage and remove once and for all this threat to their northern border, which has forced roughly 63,000 israeli residents to move south. This is a very broad and flawed analogy, but it would be the equivalent in britain of Everybody North of leeds living within danger of Rocket Attacks from north of the scottish border. Israel is a small country, they have all had to move south and they are living in hotels, On FriendsLiving Room sofas and floors and so on. A greater number have had to move north from the lebanese side of the border. A greater number have been killed there, so lebanon is caught in the middle here. Its really tough for lebanese civilians, but israel doesnt seem to be interested in listening to calls for a ceasefire right now. ~. ,. ,. , ~ calls for a ceasefire right now. ~. ,. ,. ,~. , now. What should we make of the fact the israeli now. What should we make of the fact the israeli prime now. What should we make of the fact the israeli prime Minister Fact the israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was at the united nations in New York when the Go Ahead was given for this to take place . He the goahead was given for this to take place . To take place . He didnt go to make peace. To take place . He didnt go to make peace, he to take place . He didnt go to make peace, he went to take place . He didnt go to| make peace, he went there. To take place . He didnt go to make peace, he went there. He said, i didnt plan to come here but i Cant Sit idly by and hear all of the lies and the libels and the fabrications of the people accusing israel of the people accusing israel of war crimes. So he gave that very robust uncompromising speech yesterday, to which a lot of arab and muslim ambassadors walked out, they were not prepared to sit and listen to that. For much of the time, netanyahu is a deeply unpopular israeli leader. A lot of Israelis Cant Stand him. But right now, he is riding high in public opinion because, to some extent, in the israeli eyes, he has redeemed himself for the failures of october the 7th, which was on his watch. The murderous barbaric raid into the south of israel, carrying out those sadistic mutilations of people, just horrific. But that happened on his watch. He knows that when the war ends, he is going to have to face the music, his coalition will probably fall apart, they will be elections and someone else will probably become prime minister. But for now, on the cusp of his 75th birthday in three weeks, he is at the top of his rhetorical form, and he is giving the idf all the Support And Help they want to prosecute this War And DriveHezbollah Notjust North of the border but to so deplete their capabilities militarily that they can no longer threaten. This could go one of two ways. It could force some kind of ceasefire deal, but that would be seen as capitulation by hezbollah and they are in no mood for that. Or hezbollah could up the ante. They still have a lot of very powerful long Range Precision guided missiles buried in tunnels, they could launch these at a Tel Aviv and other cities. They could potentially overwhelm, partially overwhelm Israels Iron Dome air defences. But to do that would almost certainly ground in iran and the united states. Israels retaliation against lebanon would be catastrophic, i think. They would probably hit things like beirut