The body of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been discovered amid the rubble from an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, according to a report from news agency Reuters, which cites sources involved in the recovery operation.
Although Hezbollah’s statement on Saturday confirmed Nasrallah’s death, it did not specify how he was killed or when his funeral would take place. However, two sources told Reuters that his body showed no direct wounds, suggesting that the cause of death was blunt force trauma due to the blast’s impact.
After extensive planning and numerous intelligence reports, Israel executed a targeted strike on an underground bunker where Nasrallah and several other Hezbollah leaders were meeting. This bunker was situated 60 feet beneath a busy street in south Beirut.
The 64-year-old Nasrallah led what is considered one of the most powerful paramilitary organizations in the world, which is also designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. His death leaves the organization without a clear successor at a crucial moment, raising questions about whether it could lead to an all-out war between the involved parties, potentially involving Iran and the United States.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have escalated their operations in Lebanon over the past few weeks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the attacks are intended to dismantle Hezbollah, which allegedly plans to target civilians in Israel.
Just one day after Nasrallah’s death, Israel also announced the elimination of Nabil Kaouk, another high-ranking Hezbollah figure who served as the group’s military commander in southern Lebanon from 1995 to 2010.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, when the Palestinian militant group invaded Israel, Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in near-daily strikes. According to the United Nations, the number of displaced individuals from southern Lebanon has more than doubled, now exceeding 211,000.
