FALCON POWERS – Israeli media has shown great interest in the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, which Defense Minister Yoav Galant described as one of the most significant operations in Israel’s history. The operation was shrouded in secrecy, but it was not spontaneous, as military affairs correspondent for Channel 13, Or Heller, reported. He confirmed that Major General Amichai Levin, commander of the Hatzrim military base, stated that the operation aimed primarily to separate Lebanon from the Gaza Strip.
According to Heller’s report of Levin’s comments, Nasrallah had linked the two fronts after October 7, making it impossible to distinguish between them. All Israeli intelligence agencies contributed to the operation, but military intelligence played the largest role as it coordinated with the air force within seconds, according to Heller.
In this context, military affairs analyst Roy Sharon from Kan stated that the operation was surrounded by secrecy, and the pilots trained extensively for it, but they only learned the target shortly before execution. Regarding potential disinformation, political analyst Gil Tamari from Channel 13 said that the United States received signals on Monday indicating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would attend the United Nations regardless of developments on the Lebanese front.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu participated in a mini-war council meeting to discuss Nasrallah’s assassination before leaving the country. He did not make a decision at that time; however, upon arriving in New York, he decided to proceed with the operation, as Tamari noted.
Tamari added, “In any case, his travel seemed like part of a disinformation operation to enhance the success of the mission, whether intended or not.” Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth journalist Shimon Shifer remarked that Netanyahu “sent images (showing his supervision over the operation) either from inside a room or from the plane, but ultimately we managed without him.” Shifer also mentioned, “I do not wish to proceed with a ground operation, as it would cost Israel the lives of hundreds of soldiers.”
Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that planning for Nasrallah’s assassination began years ago, with three intelligence units overseeing the operation. According to the newspaper, “Eliminating top Hezbollah leaders, with Nasrallah at the forefront, would not have been possible without precise intelligence about the underground complex and the movements of party members within it. This information also included accurate calculations regarding the timing and destructive power needed to penetrate the fortifications that would eliminate Nasrallah and his officials.”
According to security sources, Mossad has been planning the campaign against Hezbollah for over a decade, studying the party’s strengths and weaknesses while executing a series of intelligence operations in the field. The newspaper added, citing security officials, that the precise intelligence that contributed to the operation and Nasrallah’s assassination involved three military units: Unit 9900, which gathered visual intelligence and defined coordinates; Unit 504, which operates agents specializing in gathering information from human sources; and military intelligence, particularly Unit 8200, which relies on advanced technology.
Even after the airstrike targeting Nasrallah and several Hezbollah leaders in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Mossad continued to gather information to assess the results of the strike and its accuracy.
