Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he personally authorized the operation that led to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah sites in response to the group's rocket fire into northern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday (Sep 28) that he approved the operation to eliminate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Nasrallah, aged 64, was killed as Israeli airstrikes hit numerous Hezbollah targets in eastern and southern Lebanon in response to heavy rocket fire from the group into northern Israel. Israeli fighter jets also bombed Hezbollah strongholds in south Beirut overnight, destroying multiple residential buildings.
"We settled the score with the one responsible for the murder of countless Israelis and many citizens of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of French," said Netanyahu.
"He would have quickly rehabilitated Hezbollah’s capabilities. So I gave the order and Nasrallah is no longer with us," the Israeli Prime Minister said in his first statement since Nasrallah's death on Friday.
חיסלנו את נסראללה. ממשיכים >> pic.twitter.com/pOdJS5Jl5k
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu)He was referring to the 1983 bombings in Beirut that killed 63 people at the U.S. embassy, along with 241 U.S. Marines and 58 French paratroopers at their barracks.
In the weeks preceding the attack, Israel had intensified its strikes in Lebanon, where Hezbollah operated under Iran's influence. Reports suggest that Israel's security establishment had been monitoring Nasrallah for months and advised that this week presented a critical window to target him, warning that the opportunity might soon slip away.
The moment hits ’s rat hole from 15 different angles!
Thanks, , from all of us Iranians🍾🎗️ pic.twitter.com/jLl33DLwaj
The Israeli Prime Minister stated that the country was on the verge of "what seems to be a historic turning point" in its battle against its "enemies."
"Nasrallah's elimination is a necessary condition for achieving the goals we set: the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes and the long-term alteration of the balance of power in the region," he said.
The airstrike, described as one of the most significant Israeli operations in recent months, devastated the Dahiyeh area, a well-known Hezbollah stronghold. At least six people were confirmed dead, and 91 others were injured, with rescue teams still working to retrieve bodies from beneath the rubble.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly used bunker-buster bombs in the strike, indicating a calculated effort to penetrate Hezbollah’s fortified underground infrastructure.
"The IDF spokesman announces that yesterday, the IDF killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the terrorist organization Hezbollah and its founders, along with Ali Karchi, the commander of the southern front in Hezbollah, and other commanders in Hezbollah," the IDF said in a statement on Saturday.
"Fighter jets of the Air Force under the precise intelligence guidance of the intelligence wing and the defense system, attacked the central headquarters of Hezbollah, which is located underground, under a residential building in the Dahiyeh area of Beirut. The attack was carried out while the top brass of Hezbollah were at the headquarters and engaged in coordinating terrorist activities against the citizens of the State of Israel," the statement further added.