Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah chief, was killed by the Israeli Air Force in a precise strike that involved several intelligence agencies and meticulous planning. The attack was carried out at a time when Nasrallah and several other leaders of the Iran-backed group had gathered in a bunker in Lebanon’s Beirut.
The bunker was more than 60-feet beneath the surface of a bustling neighbourhood in southern Beirut, according to Wall Street Journal. The report also said the leaders had gathered to discuss a plan of action against Israel, as Iran was restraining them from responding forcefully.
The bombing, described as one of the largest on a major urban center in recent history, utilised approximately 80 tons of bombs, targeting the heavily fortified location more than 60 feet below ground.
“We conducted a precise strike, eliminating Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. This took place in Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in the heart of Beirut, along with other senior officials in the terrorist organization,” Herzi Halevi, Chief of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) General Staff said after the attack.
The strike also destroyed the terror group’s electronic devices and arsenal of missiles.
Israeli military officials told WSJ that the operational planning for the strike took months, with specific strategies devised to breach the underground defences of the bunker using a series of timed explosions. “We had real-time intelligence that Nasrallah was gathering with many senior terrorists,” Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani told the outlet.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Pitch At UN
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, authorized the strike while delivering a speech condemning terrorism. The timing of the airstrike has raised tensions, particularly as US officials expressed frustration at not being informed before the attack, complicating ongoing efforts for a ceasefire in the region.
Hassan Nasrallah, linked by Israel to numerous deadly attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets, has been on Israel’s kill list for decades. His assassination is by far the biggest and most consequential of Israel’s targeted killings in years, and significantly escalates the war in the Middle East.
In his first public remarks since the killing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s targeting of Nasrallah was “an essential condition to achieving the goals we set.”
“He wasn’t another terrorist. He was the terrorist,” Netanyahu said.
Middle East Tensions
Israel has vowed to step up pressure on Hezbollah until it halts its attacks that have displaced tens of thousands of Israelis from communities near the Lebanese border. The recent fighting has also displaced more than 200,000 Lebanese in the past week, according to the United Nations.