Morning Briefing: Sept. 29, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including Hezbollah confirming "martyrdom" of Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike; the US president saying Nasrallah's killing was a "measure of justice," and reiterating support for Israel and a profile of Hashem Safieddine, the potential new leader of Hezbollah.

TOP STORIES

• Hezbollah confirms ‘martyrdom’ of Hassan Nasrallah in Israeli airstrike

Hezbollah announced Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has been ‘martyred’ following a "treacherous Zionist raid" on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

“Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has joined his great and immortal martyred comrades, whose path he led for about thirty years, becoming a martyr on the road to Jerusalem and Palestine," it said

The statement emphasized Nasrallah's decades-long leadership in the resistance against Israel, noting that his dedication to the cause of Palestinian liberation defined his life and now his “martyrdom.”

• US president says Nasrallah's killing 'measure of justice;' reiterates support for Israel

US President Joe Biden said the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israel in Beirut was "a measure of justice" and reiterated Washington’s support for Israel against Hezbollah.

Biden said Nasrallah and Hezbollah were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror.

"His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians," said the US president.

• Who is Hashem Safieddine, potential new leader of Hezbollah?

As Hezbollah confirmed the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah in Israeli airstrikes on a Beirut suburb, speculations regarding a potential successor have intensified.

According to sources, Hashem Safieddine will most likely succeed Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for 32 years until his death on Friday.

Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, serves as the head of Hezbollah's executive council and was widely regarded as his heir.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Singapore emphasized the urgent need for reforming the UN to address global challenges.
  
  
• A rocket launched from southern Lebanon fell in the illegal Israeli settlement of Benjamin, near the occupied West Bank city of Jerusalem, sparking fires, according to the Israeli army.
  
  
• France expressed concern about the escalating situation in Lebanon, urging Israel to stop airstrikes.
  
  
• The US State Department updated its travel advisory for Lebanon, asking families of diplomats to leave.
  
  
• At least 26 cases of Marburg virus disease, including six deaths, have been registered in Rwanda following an outbreak, said health authorities.
  
  
• The UN chief expressed concern about "the dramatic escalation" of violence in Lebanon in the past 24 hours, urging an end to conflicts in the Middle East.
  
  
• The Israeli military warned residents in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon, the southern suburb of Beirut and southern Lebanon to evacuate "until further notice."
  
  
• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah suggests it has a desire to take the Gaza conflict beyond the blockaded Palestinian enclave.
  
  
• The Israeli air force again targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, hitting the neighborhoods of Chyah and Borj El Barajneh, prompting ambulances to rush to the scene, according to sources and witnesses.
  
  
• At least 17 people were killed in a mass shooting that targeted two homesteads in a village in South Africa, said police.
  
  
• Russia condemned the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israel, warning of "dramatic consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East."
  
  
• A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards was killed in an Israeli air attack on Beirut, state news agency IRNA reported.
  
  
• Iran Air's flights to Beirut's Rafic-Hariri International Airport were canceled until further notice, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.
  
  
• The Israeli army announced a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people in central Israel amid escalating tensions following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
  
  
• Hezbollah announced it launched a salvo of Fadi-3 missiles targeting the Israeli Ramat-David air base, located southeast of Haifa.
  
  
• Several people are feared dead or injured after a powerful explosion shook Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.
  
  
• A helicopter crash in northwestern Pakistan killed at least six people and left eight injured.
  
  
• At least 11 medical personnel were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting health facilities in the villages of Taybeh and Deir Seryan in the Marjeyoun district of southern Lebanon.
  
  
• The death toll rose to 12 from an explosion at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala, the administrative center of Russia's Dagestan region, after another victim who was injured died at a hospital.
  
  
• Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov announced that the BRICS economic bloc is set to add 10 new members during its upcoming summit in October in Kazan, Russia.

SPORTS

• Martinez leads Inter Milan to 3-2 away win against Udinese in Serie A

Argentine attacker Lautaro Martinez led Inter Milan to a 3-2 away win against Udinese in the Italian Serie A.

After Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi's opener in the first minute, Argentine attacker Lautaro Martinez netted twice, in stoppage time at the end of the first half, and in the 47th minute in the second half, to bring Nerazzuri victory at Stadio Friuli.

Belgian defender Christian Kabasele and Italian attacker Lorenzo Lucca scored goals for Udinese, in the 35th and 83rd minutes, respectively.​​​​​​​