Hezbollah confirms leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by Israel

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Saturday afternoon confirmed the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike.

Hezbollah called Nasrallah "a great martyr" and said he was killed in a "treacherous Zionist" attack on a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The Iran-backed Shiite movement pledged "to continue its jihad in confronting the enemy, in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defence of Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people."

Shortly after Hezbollah made the announcement, heavy gunshots into the air could be heard in Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said earlier on Saturday that Nasrallah and several high-ranking Hezbollah commanders were killed in an airstrike on Friday.