MOSCOW, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Russia strongly condemned Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and called on Israel to cease fire, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
"We strongly condemn another political assassination committed by Israel. This violent act is fraught with even greater dramatic consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East," said the ministry in a statement, adding that the Israeli move will almost "inevitably trigger a new round of violence."
The statement said Israel "bears full responsibility" for the subsequent escalation and urged it to end hostilities immediately.
Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader Nasrallah was killed in the Israeli airstrikes targeting the militant group's command headquarters in Dahieh in Beirut's southern suburbs a day earlier.
Israel has intensified its airstrikes across Lebanon since Monday, launching its most extensive action in the country since 2006.
The latest escalation intensified the ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah started launching rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza, triggering retaliatory Israeli artillery fire and airstrikes in southeastern Lebanon. ■