BEIRUT (AP) — An unnamed senior Hezbollah official revealed new details on Sunday regarding the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike last year. Nasrallah was reportedly inside the militant group’s war operations room when the Israeli airstrike occurred.
The incident took place on Sept. 27, 2023, when a series of Israeli airstrikes targeted and flattened several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, resulting in the death of Nasrallah. The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed that a total of six people lost their lives in the attack. Reports suggest that Nasrallah, along with other senior officials, were in an underground meeting at the time of the airstrike.
Nasrallah, who had been at the helm of Hezbollah for 32 years, was a prominent figure in the region. His assassination marked a turning point, escalating what had been a period of low-level strikes between Israel and the militants into a full-scale conflict. The ensuing war heavily impacted southern and eastern Lebanon for two months until a ceasefire brokered by the United States took effect on Nov. 27.
Speaking at a news conference near the site of Nasrallah’s death, top Hezbollah security official Wafiq Safa disclosed that Nasrallah was killed in the war operations room where he typically led battles and strategic planning. Safa did not provide additional details regarding the circumstances of Nasrallah’s death.
There were reports in Lebanese media that Safa himself had been targeted in Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut prior to the ceasefire but had emerged unharmed. As part of the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah is expected to relocate its fighters, weapons, and infrastructure from southern Lebanon north of the Litani River, while Israeli forces that had entered southern Lebanon are required to withdraw within 60 days. The Lebanese army, supported by United Nations peacekeepers, is slated to assume control as the sole armed presence in southern Lebanon.
Both Lebanon and Hezbollah have criticized ongoing Israeli military actions, including airstrikes and overflights across Lebanese territory, as well as Israel’s partial withdrawal from just two out of many Lebanese villages it currently controls. Israel, on the other hand, has asserted that the Lebanese military has not fulfilled its obligations to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure.
In a recent televised address, Hezbollah’s current leader Naim Kassem issued a warning, stating that Hezbollah fighters could launch strikes against Israel if Israeli troops do not vacate southern Lebanon by the end of the month. Safa mentioned that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who played a key role in negotiating the ceasefire with the United States, indicated that the government would hold discussions with U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein soon to determine a course of action based on emerging developments.
Hochstein, who spearheaded diplomatic efforts to secure the delicate truce, has been pivotal in facilitating communication between the involved parties to maintain stability in the region.
