An Israeli news outlet has reported that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah may have suffocated after an Israeli airstrike destroyed his secret bunker.
Israeli Channel 12 stated that officials recovered Nasrallah’s body on Sunday, finding it intact and without visible wounds, raising concerns that he could have been trapped under rubble after an assault involving 80 tons of bunker-busting bombs dropped on his fortified hideout on Friday.
The report suggests that Nasrallah, 64, might have died from suffocation as his bunker filled with toxic fumes from the explosions and resulting smoke.
However, medical and security officials who extricated Nasrallah’s body told Reuters that blunt force trauma from the blasts was a more probable cause of death.
Despite the reports, Hezbollah officials have remained tight-lipped about the specifics of Nasrallah’s death. His body was subsequently taken to a hospital in Beirut.
Nasrallah was believed to have been killed during a targeted bombing campaign, with Israeli intelligence successfully tracking him to an underground command centre, where he was scheduled to meet with Hezbollah leadership.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in New York for a United Nations address when he authorised the use of bunker-buster bombs in the operation against Nasrallah.
Following the attack, Hezbollah’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, vowed to retaliate for Nasrallah’s death and the ongoing bombardments in southern Lebanon, signalling a potential escalation of tensions in the region.
