Israeli officials say they had known Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s location for months and had followed his every movement, according to latest reports, leading to his elimination in an Israeli strike Friday that was planned months in advance.
As the conflict with Hezbollah rapidly escalated the past two weeks, Israeli officials began seriously discussing a strike against the man who had led the terror group for over thirty years.
Israeli officials also knew the location of Nasrallah’s secret underground bunker and had worked out that it could be destroyed with a timed chain of bombs. Each explosion would clear the way for the next bomb until it reached the bunker more than 60 feet underground.
Ultimately, the exact timing of Israel’s strike was a question of opportunity.
Israeli intelligence learned that Nasrallah would be gathering with senior leaders of Hezbollah hours before the meeting took place.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was abroad in New York, where he had delivered a speech to the United Nations. As Netanyahu spoke with the press after his address, an aide whispered in his ear. Netanyahu withdrew to his hotel room, where he ordered the strike.
Israel’s air force struck the bunker with about 80 tons of bombs, killing Nasrallah, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard general, and at least one senior Hezbollah commander.
Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, Israel’s top army general, warned that Israel may strike Hezbollah’s leadership again.
“This is not the end of our toolbox,” he told reporters. “Anyone who threatens the state of Israel, we will know how to reach them.”
