Israel had real-time intelligence on Nasrallah’s meeting, military said

Israel executed a lethal strike against Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah after receiving intelligence about his meeting with senior commanders at the movement’s underground headquarters in southern Beirut, according to the Israeli military on Saturday.

This operation followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he stated that Israel would not tolerate Hezbollah’s presence along its borders. The strike came in the wake of the recent assassinations of several high-ranking members of the group.

Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, indicated that the operation, dubbed “New Order,” took place on Friday while Nasrallah and the Hezbollah leadership were convening to strategize further assaults against Israel. “We had real-time intelligence and an operational opportunity that enabled us to execute this attack,” he informed reporters. Additionally, Israel’s Army Radio reported that the commander of the air force squadron involved in the operation mentioned that pilots received information about the target shortly before their departure.

The officer, referred to only as Lieutenant Colonel M., stated, “The pilots were unaware of the target during the planning phase of the strike.” He added, “We revealed the target to the teams just a few hours before the operation, and they grasped their objective.”

Shoshani refrained from commenting on rumors regarding the potential use of U.S.-manufactured Mark 84 heavy bombs. However, Brigadier General Amichai Levin, the commander of Hatzerim air base, informed reporters that numerous munitions struck the target in rapid succession.

Shoshani also mentioned that Ali Karaki, the leader of Hezbollah’s southern front, who was targeted by Israel earlier that week, was killed in the operation. Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 of the previous year, Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah’s death and declared its intention to persist in its fight against Israel “in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defense of Lebanon.”

Since that time, both sides have engaged in daily exchanges of missile and rocket fire, resulting in the evacuation of tens of thousands of individuals on both sides of the border and leaving large areas nearly deserted.

Recent weeks have seen a significant increase in tensions as Israel has initiated a targeted campaign against key members of Hezbollah’s military leadership, aiming to diminish the group’s operational capabilities. “Our intelligence efforts on Nasrallah have spanned several years. For decades, we have been collecting information, anticipating that he might attempt to provoke a conflict,” he stated. “With real-time intelligence at our disposal, we executed the strike.”