Preliminary reports in Israel suggest Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was eliminated Friday in an Israeli airstrike that destroyed the terror group’s central headquarters in downtown Beirut, a game-changing operation that comes as a significant blow to Iran and its proxies.

Reports across Israeli media say that Nasrallah was one of many killed in a pinpoint strike on Hezbollah’s stronghold. The strike also reportedly took out the terror group's "number two" commander and is believed to have killed many other senior Hezbollah operatives.

"The assessment in Israel: Nasrallah is eliminated," stated a Hebrew-language headline on Israel’s Channel 12 news station. A second outlet said there is "cautious optimism in Israel: The strike on Nasrallah succeeded," according to the Times of Israel.

The reports are bolstered by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s abrupt decision to leave New York City early, just hours after he addressed the United Nations General Assembly. Nasrallah’s death would mark a sea change for Lebanon and the larger Middle East, which has been plagued by the Iran-backed terror group for decades.