Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah Killed in Israeli Airstrike After Years-Long Intelligence Operation

In a significant blow to Hezbollah, its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday, following a meticulously planned, years-long operation by Israeli intelligence.

Strike targeted Nasrallah’s underground command centre in Beirut, using 80 tons of specially designed bunker-busting bombs to reach the heavily fortified hideout.

Israel spent months developing bombs that would dig through the earth and reach Hezbollah’s underground bunkers. AP

The operation marked a significant success for Israel, tracking Nasrallah and his movements for years. Israeli intelligence had successfully infiltrated Hezbollah’s network, allowing them to pinpoint Nasrallah’s location. The airstrike delivered the outcome Israel had long been seeking—eliminating one of the most elusive figures in the Middle East.

According to a report from ‘The Financial Times’, Israeli intelligence had spent years hacking and conducting surveillance on Hezbollah, one of the largest and best-armed militias in the world. This long-term effort provided crucial insights into the movements and communication of the group’s leadership. Nasrallah, who had previously survived several assassination attempts, was unaware that Israeli intelligence had been closely monitoring his whereabouts.

The breakthrough for Israeli intelligence came in 2012 when Hezbollah deployed its fighters to Syria to support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad during the civil war. This deployment proved to be a turning point, as the conflict exposed information that had previously been tightly guarded.

Former Israeli intelligence officials and Lebanese political figures revealed to ‘The Financial Times that the war led to Hezbollah inadvertently revealing critical details about its fighters, such as personal information about those killed in combat.

Smoke billows over Beirut following the blast that killed Nasrallah. AFP via Getty Images

“They went from being highly disciplined and secretive to letting in a lot more people than they should have,” said Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center. This shift and increased arrogance and complacency weakened Hezbollah’s previously strict operational security. Israeli intelligence took advantage of this, gathering detailed profiles on Hezbollah members, especially those attending the funerals of slain fighters.

With this new data, Israeli intelligence began hacking Hezbollah’s communications, tracking the movements of its operatives, and even using their wives’ cell phones to monitor them. Israeli spies also hacked into surveillance cameras across Lebanon and even used the odometers of vehicles to trace Hezbollah leaders’ movements.

As a result of this extensive surveillance, Israeli officials learned that when Hezbollah’s routines deviated, it often signalled an upcoming attack.

This intelligence proved crucial in the events leading up to the airstrike on Friday. Israeli forces discovered that Nasrallah was heading to his underground command bunker just as Israel was launching a bombing campaign in Beirut.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the decision to strike Nasrallah while he was in New York for a speech at the United Nations.

Israel had been planning the operation for months, developing a series of bunker-busting bombs with timed explosions designed to penetrate deep underground.

The IDF said six buildings were levelled in the bombardments. AFP via Getty Images

Unlike the U.S., which uses more giant bombers and massive artillery such as the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator, Israel relied on fighter jets and smaller warplanes, limiting the size of bombs it could carry. To overcome this limitation, Israel engineered bombs capable of blasting through the layers of Nasrallah’s fortified hideout, which was located 60 feet underground.

While Hezbollah did not disclose how Nasrallah was killed, Lebanese medical and security sources told *Reuters* that his body was recovered intact, suggesting he died from the blunt trauma of the blast rather than from direct injuries. His death was confirmed on Sunday.

The strike caused massive destruction in the area surrounding Hezbollah’s headquarters, levelling six buildings in one of the most prominent bombings Beirut has seen in recent years. A United Nations school located about 173 feet from the blast site was among the structures affected.

The Israeli Defense Forces compared Hezbollah’s tactics to those of Hamas, accusing the group of hiding in residential areas to use civilians as human shields. Hezbollah has long been accused of embedding its operations within civilian infrastructure to deter attacks.

Health officials reportedly pulled out Nasrallah’s body from the bunker on Sunday. AP

Prime Minister Netanyahu hailed Nasrallah’s death as a “historic turning point” in Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah, which has seen heightened tensions in recent weeks.

“Nasrallah was not just another terrorist, he was *the* terrorist,” Netanyahu said. “As long as Nasrallah was alive, he would have quickly rebuilt the capabilities we took from Hezbollah.”

Nasrallah’s death marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and raises concerns about further violence in the region.

Israel’s operation, while successful in eliminating a key figure, may have profound implications for the already volatile situation in the Middle East.

Sola Adeniji

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