Israel’s recent strikes against Hezbollah, which culminated in the killing of the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday night, are the result of years of covert operations. According to the New York Times, since the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Israel has been working silently and methodically to develop a formidable intelligence mechanism that deeply infiltrated the Lebanese organization.
The New York Times reported that Israeli forces had deployed secret commandos “deep into the country” on “sensitive intelligence missions” that have played a key role in the precision strikes that have taken out Hezbollah commanders one by one.
Officials told the Times that Israel’s willingness to execute bold missions sets it apart from other intelligence services. Additionally, the report highlights that Israel’s Unit 8200, the IDF’s signal intelligence division, has been focusing on Hezbollah, allowing Israel to share intelligence with the U.S. This collaboration was crucial in the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq in January 2020.
James Dorsey, a researcher at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, commented, “The strike against Nasrallah was highly complex. This not only demonstrates Israel’s advanced technological capabilities but also how deeply they have infiltrated Hezbollah.”
Possible Ground Operations at the Lebanon Border
Meanwhile, two U.S. officials told ABC that the Israeli Defense Forces might have started or are preparing to launch small ground operations at the Lebanon border to neutralize Hezbollah positions. These “border movements” are said to be of limited scale, and it remains unclear whether Israel will proceed with a full-scale ground invasion of Lebanon. However, any operation would likely be limited.
According to these sources, decapitating Hezbollah’s leadership alone won’t be enough to allow the roughly 60,000 displaced Israelis to return to their homes.
Dozens of New Airstrikes on Lebanon
In the last few hours, the Israeli military has launched “dozens” of new airstrikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, following Nasrallah’s death in a large-scale Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs two days ago.
The Israeli Air Force attacked “dozens of terrorist targets in Lebanon in recent hours,” an IDF spokesperson posted on Telegram. These targets included rocket launchers aimed at Israel.
Shocking Videos of Israeli Strikes Targeting Nasrallah
Videos showing the Israeli strikes targeting Nasrallah are shocking, with a massive cloud of smoke rising over Beirut, engulfing the city. Fires envelop buildings, and the sky turns gray. These images have circulated worldwide, with foreign correspondents noting they have never witnessed such chaotic scenes.
More than 80 bombs reportedly fell within minutes on Nasrallah’s location in southern Beirut, according to The New York Times.
Israel Reveals: Years of Intelligence Gathering on Nasrallah
Israel carried out the fatal strike against Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah after learning he was meeting with senior commanders in his underground headquarters in southern Beirut, the Israeli military said on Saturday.
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Sosani stated that the operation, dubbed “New Order,” took place on Friday while Nasrallah was meeting with his organization’s top members to plan new attacks against Israel.
“We had real-time intelligence, an operational opportunity that allowed us to carry out this strike,” Sosani told reporters.
According to the IDF radio, the air force squadron commander involved in the mission said pilots were briefed on the target shortly before taking off.
“The pilots didn’t know who the target was during the planning days,” said the officer, identified only as “Lt. Col. M.” They learned about the target a few hours before the operation and understood the gravity of the mission, he added.
Sosani declined to comment on speculation that U.S.-made Mark 84 heavy bombs might have been used in the strike. Brigadier General Amichai Levine, commander of Hatzerim Air Base, said that “dozens of munitions” hit the target within seconds.
Ali Karaki, the Hezbollah commander of the southern front, whom Israel attempted to eliminate earlier in the week, was also killed in the same strike, Sosani revealed.
“We’ve been gathering intelligence on Nasrallah for several years. For decades, we’ve collected information, understanding that at some point he would try to start a war. We had real-time intelligence and executed the strike,” the spokesperson concluded.
