Khaberni - Officers in Israeli intelligence units have revealed new details about their involvement in the assassination of the former Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.
According to exclusive interviews with "Yedioth Ahronoth," two officers confirmed that they "and no one else" sought to assassinate Nasrallah in September 2024.
Officer "S" highlighted the preliminary steps for the operation by gathering a flood of information about Nasrallah's hideouts and his entourage, saying, "We discovered that Hezbollah owns dozens of hideouts and sensitive assets throughout Beirut, and we monitored the location closest to where Nasrallah was among these assets, which took many years."
He added, "It's truly a labyrinth because the hideouts are connected by a network of tunnels and passages under residential buildings, with links that need to be known in detail... I wish it was just about knowing where Nasrallah was hiding."
The young counter-espionage officer "N" did not wait for Nasrallah to hide in the location she was responsible for; over weeks, she analyzed the hideout located between 20 and 30 meters underground.
According to the officer, "the goal was to accurately determine the 'entrances' to enable the air forces to drop 83 bombs on the site, ensuring the elimination of Nasrallah and the military leadership members of the party."
According to the Hebrew newspaper, "N" knew the shelter well, and of course, she ensured Nasrallah's presence there that evening, not in dozens of other options, and chose the correct aiming points for the attack.
Major "S" recalls how he presented the summary prepared by officer "N" to the head of intelligence and the air force commander: "I was ready to put my rank on the table if the operation failed, and that's what I said before the operation to the generals."
For this reason, as Officer "S" says, "We didn't just bomb the rooms where we believed Nasrallah was, but we also bombed nearby tunnel intersections to prevent his escape."
In the operation where "Nasrallah" was eliminated, named "New Order," the Israeli army announced the death of 30 members of "Hezbollah," including prominent party leaders.
The officers noted that given their experience dealing with "Hezbollah," vigilance still imposes itself on everyone in Israel regarding another confrontation with the party, which "has been deterred but not defeated."
Israeli intelligence officers believe that "Hezbollah" will be different in the next confrontation, particularly under less experienced leadership, but it still possesses a heavy arsenal of weapons and missiles, and tens of thousands of armed elements.
According to the officers, "The challenge will not be limited to destroying weapons factories but will also include tracking down mid-level leaders who manage the operations."
Major "A" explains that "Hezbollah invests heavily in protecting its assets. We estimate that rehabilitation budgets from Iran will increase in the coming years to exceed $700 million annually, allocated by Tehran for the party."
He concluded that the Iranians still view Hezbollah as a "deputy agent project," and are working to ensure it does not lose its influence in Lebanon.
