Israeli Officer Reveals New Details About Nasrallah Assassination

An Israeli reserve officer revealed new details about the airstrike that assassinated former Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, 2024. He stated that the Israeli military planned to prevent rescue teams from reaching the site after the bombing, anticipating that Nasrallah might remain alive under the rubble.

The "Jerusalem Post" quoted the officer, identified only by the letter "S," who managed the target bank in an Air Force unit, saying that Israeli aircraft dropped 83 bombs on the complex where Nasrallah was located. The details of what happened after the raid are based on the officer's account, and the newspaper did not provide independent verification regarding the targeting of rescue vehicles or the number of bombs.
The officer said he consulted with a responsible official in an Israeli rescue unit before executing the operation regarding the time required for a professional team to reach people trapped in a similarly destroyed site. According to his account, the estimated time was about six hours, leading him to conclude that access to the area must be prevented for double that duration.

He added that the goal was to ensure Nasrallah's death, either due to direct injury or, if he survived it, due to bleeding or lack of oxygen while remaining under the debris. This statement is the most prominent part of the new report, as it addresses what the officer says was part of the operation plan after dropping the bombs, not just the raid itself.
According to the officer, the Israeli military monitored a motorcycle arriving in the area and individuals attempting to approach the site through an adjacent opening after the bombing. He said a bulldozer later arrived to remove the rubble and was bombed, followed by a second bulldozer that arrived afterward.
The statements relayed in the report did not identify the individuals who tried to reach the site or the operators of the two bulldozers, nor were these events independently verified. Therefore, the details of targeting rubble removal machinery remain attributed to the Israeli officer.

The officer said Israel had monitored Nasrallah for a long period and knew apartments he stayed in, places he took refuge in, and sites prepared for emergency use. He added that Nasrallah did not spend all his time underground and sometimes stayed in an eighth-floor apartment in a residential building in the suburbs, which allowed him quick access to a fortified location.
According to his account, the operation planners had a concept for targeting Nasrallah in more than one building or shelter, while on the day of his assassination, he had "more fortified" sites available than the complex he went to.

The "Jerusalem Post" report also addressed a series of assassinations targeting Hezbollah field commanders before Nasrallah's killing, considering that they weakened the command network and operational knowledge within the party. Part of this presentation relied on Lebanese accounts and previous statements, including testimonies by Hezbollah liaison and coordination unit head Wafiq Safa about the impact of pager explosions on Nasrallah.
The report also conveyed estimates by Israeli officials stating that Hezbollah still faces difficulties rebuilding its leadership and military structure two years later.