Israel attempts to assassinate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in powerful strike south of Beirut

In a decision with unpredictable consequences, the Israeli army attempted to assassinate Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday by dropping bombs weighing up to a ton on residential buildings, according to Israeli media. At around 6:00 p.m. local time, F-35 jets launched at least eight projectiles, which left four buildings in Dahiye, Hezbollah’s stronghold south of Beirut, in ruins, shortly after a belligerent speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the United Nations General Assembly that ruled out any form of negotiation over a ceasefire agreement. A large cloud of smoke rose over the suburbs of the capital and, a few minutes later, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged an attack against Hezbollah’s “main headquarters,” which it said was “located under residential buildings” in Dahiye. The official Iranian news agency, Tasnim, stated that Nasrallah is safe. The militia has not yet commented on the strike.

At least four buildings have been reduced to rubble and the wounded started arriving at hospitals. Images show a large crater and buildings completely razed to the ground or blown off their foundations by the power of the explosion. It was the largest bombing in Beirut in a year of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, using missiles used to penetrate bunkers, according to Israeli public television.

Netanyahu’s office released a photo of him on the phone from New York. He then brought forward his return to Israel from Saturday to Friday night.

According to Israeli state television, Israel informed its American allies of the operation minutes beforehand, but the Pentagon has denied this. “The United States was not involved in this operation and was not warned in advance,” said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh.

Earlier, in his speech at the UN, Netanyahu said that Israel would not stop until the Lebanese militia had been defeated, including Hezbollah in what he termed as an axis of “curse,” led by Iran, facing one of “blessing,” in which Israel is included, underlining his point with the use of maps he displayed from the podium.

“On the one hand, a bright blessing — a future of hope. On the other hand, a dark future of despair [...] As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice,” said Netanyahu, after five days of bombings that have killed more than 600 people in Lebanon.

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