What We Know About the Assassination of Hassan Nasrallah

A new phase in the ongoing war and conflict in the region may be on the horizon, following the Israeli army’s announcement that it had “eliminated” Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, along with several party leaders, in an airstrike targeting Beirut’s southern suburb.

While Hezbollah remained officially silent for nearly twenty hours after the attack on its central headquarters, the Israeli military carried out a series of successive airstrikes on homes and buildings in Beirut, claiming that Hezbollah was storing weapons in these locations.

What Happened?

On the evening of Friday, September 27, 2024, Israeli F-35 fighter jets launched intense and “unprecedented” airstrikes on a target in the Haret Hreik area, the main stronghold of Hezbollah in Beirut’s southern suburb. The strikes aimed to assassinate Nasrallah, resulting in a deafening explosion that echoed throughout Beirut, instilling fear and panic among the residents.

Immediately after the attack, the Israeli army announced that it had “just attacked” Hezbollah’s central command, located beneath residential buildings in the heart of Beirut’s southern suburb, according to the Israeli military spokesperson.

As the dust settled, it became clearer who the target of the raid was. Israeli military radio confirmed that the objective was Hezbollah’s command post, with the primary target being Nasrallah himself. However, Israeli media, including Yedioth Ahronoth and Channel 12, reported that it was still unclear whether Nasrallah was present at the command center during the attack.

Channel 12 later quoted a senior Israeli official, stating that there were “positive indications that the operation to eliminate Nasrallah had succeeded.” In contrast, a source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that although six buildings were destroyed, Nasrallah was “fine.”

The Scale of the Bombs

According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Israeli forces bombed six buildings during the strikes on Beirut’s southern suburb to target Nasrallah and Hezbollah leaders. The Israeli army utilized F-35 jets armed with bunker-busting bombs to carry out the mission.

Israeli media reported that 2,000-ton bunker-buster bombs were used in the attack. On the second day of the strikes, Yedioth Ahronoth detailed that 80 tons of bombs were dropped in the operation to kill Nasrallah.

Israeli military radio explained that planes from the 69th Squadron dropped approximately 85 bunker-buster bombs, each weighing a ton, during the assassination attempt.

A source close to Hezbollah, speaking to AFP without revealing his name, confirmed that six buildings were completely leveled in Haret Hreik.

Footage showed flattened buildings and others entirely destroyed. Several streets appeared shattered after the Israeli assault.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported two fatalities and 76 injuries as an initial result of the Israeli aggression on Haret Hreik in Beirut’s southern suburb.

The Targeted Location

Hezbollah’s central command is located in Haret Hreik, Beirut’s southern suburb, which serves as the group’s stronghold and has become the Israeli army’s primary target in Lebanon.

Haret Hreik is home to Hezbollah’s general headquarters, where Nasrallah holds meetings with officials and international envoys. It also houses Al-Manar, the party’s media arm responsible for broadcasting Hezbollah’s statements and releases.

The densely populated southern suburb, known as “Al-Dahiya,” is the most crowded area in Beirut, with a population of 976,000 according to the latest Lebanese census conducted in 2007. About 50.3% of its residents hail from southern Lebanon, 24.3% from the Bekaa region, 15% from Mount Lebanon, and only 9.7% are originally from Beirut.

Who is Hassan Nasrallah?

Hassan Nasrallah lives a secretive life due to his sensitive position as the leader of one of the region’s most prominent resistance movements, which has been in conflict with the Israeli occupation since the 1980s.

Nasrallah was born on August 31, 1960, in the village of Al-Bazouriya in southern Lebanon’s Tyre district. He married Fatima Yassin, and they have five children: Hadi, Zaynab, Muhammad Jawad, Muhammad Mahdi, and Muhammad Ali. His eldest son, Hadi, was killed in clashes with the Israeli army in southern Lebanon in 1997.

Nasrallah received religious education at Shiite seminaries in Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran. He initially joined the Amal Movement during his high school years and rose through the ranks to become a member of its political bureau in 1979.

In 1982, following disagreements over how to resist the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Nasrallah, along with other officials, left Amal and joined the newly founded Hezbollah. He was tasked with mobilizing resistance fighters in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

By 1985, Nasrallah moved to Beirut, where he became the deputy head of the region, and later the executive officer in charge of implementing the Shura Council’s decisions.

Leadership of Hezbollah

Nasrallah became Hezbollah’s Secretary-General on February 16, 1992, following the Israeli assassination of his predecessor Abbas al-Moussawi.

Under his leadership, Hezbollah conducted several notable operations against Israel, culminating in the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years of occupation.

In 2004, Nasrallah played a pivotal role in the largest prisoner exchange deal between Hezbollah and Israel, resulting in the release of hundreds of Lebanese and Arab detainees.

Locally, Nasrallah earned the title “Master of Resistance” due to Hezbollah’s role in liberating southern Lebanon in 2000 and its confrontation with Israel in the 2006 July War.

His fiery speeches and the fulfillment of promises to retaliate against Israeli aggression on Palestinians bolstered his popularity, particularly in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

However, this popularity significantly declined after Hezbollah sided with the Syrian regime against the opposition during the Syrian revolution in 2011.

Nasrallah’s name reemerged with the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, launched by Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, against settlements surrounding Gaza on October 7, 2023. The attack was followed by an Israeli war on Gaza, nearing its first anniversary, with over 137,000 Palestinians killed or injured.

Nasrallah declared the opening of a “front in southern Lebanon to support and assist the Palestinian resistance.” He repeatedly emphasized in his speeches that this front would not calm until the war on Gaza ends.

Israel’s announcement of Nasrallah’s assassination comes amid French and American efforts to broker a temporary 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, aimed at allowing diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful resolution on both the Lebanese and Gazan fronts.