Gunmen fired into the air and closed some shops in parts of Beirut as Hezbollah supporters said they were in shock and did not believe their leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was dead.

The Shiite group confirmed Nasrallah’s death in a statement issued hours after the Israeli military said it had killed him in an airstrike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday.

Nasrallah’s death is seen as a devastating blow to Hezbollah amid ongoing Israeli attacks. Even after the news was confirmed, some supporters held out hope that he was somehow still alive.

“God, I hope it’s not true. It’s a disaster if it’s true,” said Zahraa, a young woman who had been displaced overnight from Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

“He guided us. It was everything to us. We were under his wing,” he told Reuters by phone. Zahraa said other displaced people around her fainted or started screaming when they were alerted via their mobile phones to the announcement confirming his death.

Nasrallah, who took over as head of Hezbollah after its previous leader was killed in an Israeli operation in 1992, was known for his televised speeches, which were closely watched by supporters and opponents alike.

“We’re still waiting for him to come on TV at 5pm and tell us that everything is okay, that we can go home,” Zahraa said.

In some districts of Beirut, armed men entered shops and told the owners to close them, according to accounts. It is currently unclear which faction these men belonged to.

Gunfire also rang out in the Hamra neighborhood of west Beirut as crowds mourning Nasrallah fired into the air. “For you, Nasrallah,” was the slogan shouted by those gathered, according to residents. Such shootings in the air are a common occurrence in the Middle East, whether in celebration or mourning.

Similar rallies and marches were also held in the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to Hezbollah’s Al Manar channel.

The Lebanese army has stepped up security measures across the city, having already cordoned off the US embassy in northern Beirut as a precaution on Friday.

A source close to the security services said authorities were preparing for possible tensions between different religious sects.

Al Manar channel played verses from the Koran in mourning for the organization’s slain leader. A correspondent for the MTV Lebanon channel, which is firmly anti-Hezbollah, expressed her condolences live.