In a secret and sophisticated operation, the Israel Defense Forces and Military Intelligence Directorate succeeded in assassinating Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in the heart of the Dahiya neighborhood in Beirut. Here's how it happened.
Using advanced intelligence and a brilliant deception maneuver that included the Prime Minister's flight to the US, security forces struck the organization's leadership in what is defined as one of the most significant military operations.
Former Intelligence Division Head Aaron Haliva had already considered the option of a targeted assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on October 11, based on the intelligence agency’s advanced capabilities.
This capability, built over many years by Military Intelligence, was non-existent during the Second Lebanon War when there was no idea where he was hiding, and the dossier on him was minimal, if not operationally useless.
According to security sources, the political, intelligence, and operational conditions for Nasrallah's assassination matured by Wednesday. Military Intelligence once again recommended action, and the political echelon approved it after being exposed to the intimate and sensitive intelligence collected to close the loop.
The preparation and decision for the targeted assassination began on Wednesday. The nerve-wracking wait was for precise and high-quality intelligence further to pinpoint the moment of the Hezbollah leadership meeting, showcasing arrogance and disconnect from the IDF’s intelligence and firepower capabilities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed business as usual, gave the green light for progress on the ceasefire process, and decided to fly to the US on the "Wing of Zion" aircraft (Israel's version of Air Force One), part of what appears to be a deception maneuver to lull Hezbollah's leadership, who took the bait.
Otherwise, the leadership meeting in an underground headquarters serving as the command center for the Shia organization in the heart of the Dahiya neighborhood in Beirut would not have occurred.
Security consultations took place throughout the flight to the US on the "Wing of Zion" aircraft, with intelligence updates on developments in Lebanon and the readiness of intelligence and the air force to carry out an attack that no one could escape, even in an underground network.
On Thursday night, the cabinet convened for a phone meeting that ended at four in the morning Israel time, nine in New York time. The Prime Minister managed preparations from his hotel room in the US, following consultations with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Mossad Chief David Barnea. After the professional discussion, Netanyahu and Gallant were authorized to approve the targeted assassination based on incoming intelligence.
At about 10:00 on Friday, Israel time, Netanyahu held another security consultation with the Defense Minister and with the Chief of Staff based on the latest intelligence. According to Israeli sources, intelligence was received shortly before Netanyahu’s UN speech. The IDF completed preparations, increasing readiness and alertness in monitoring and air defense systems.
Another consultation took place, and Netanyahu gave the go-ahead for the targeted assassination that would shake the Middle East and the Arab world. The Air Force command gave the green light to arm aircraft with bunker-busting bombs. The Chief of Staff and Defense Minister descended into the "pit," the IDF underground base in Tel Aviv, accompanied by the Head of Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, and Chief of Operations Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk. A large number of fighter jets took off, and once the signal was given, one by one, they began dropping dozens of bombs, reporting "Alpha" on the communication network one after the other. The smoke plumes were visible from afar.
Unmanned aircraft transmitted images to the Air Force "pit" as buildings collapsed in the heart of the Dahiya neighborhood. Unlike the previous failed assassination of Ali Karaki, due to a limited scope of munitions, this time the scale was deadly. Nasrallah and the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, Ali Karaki, were killed on the spot along with other senior figures. The rest is history.