Nasrallah's body is removed from the bombed-out building
The body of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been recovered from the site of an Israeli air attack on Beirut's southern suburbs and is intact, a medical source and a security source told Reuters on Sunday.
While Hezbollah's statement on Saturday confirming Nasrallah's death did not say how exactly he was killed nor when his funeral would be, the two sources said his body had no direct wounds and that it appeared the cause of death was blunt trauma from the force of the blast.
The explosion that killed Hassan Nasrallah
F15i jets taking off for the strike of Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah’s Central Headquarters in Lebanon, from Hatzerim Airbase
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The IDF confirmed Saturday that Nasrallah was killed in the attack on Hezbollah's central headquarters Dahieh district of Beirut, and more than three hours later Hezbollah also confirmed that their leader was killed in the attack, but the Shiite terrorist organization did not specify exactly how and when his funeral would take place. Along with Nasrallah, Ali Karaki, commander of the southern front in Hezbollah, and other commanders in the terrorist organization also were killed in the same attack.
Elimination of Hassan Nasrallah: The radio communications of the Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar and the commander of the 69th Squadron
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
According to the IDF, a total of 20 terrorists were killed with Nasrallah in the bombing of his bunker including
* Ibrahim Hussein Jazini - Head of Nasrallah's Security Unit.
* Samir Tawfiq Dib - Nasrallah's long-time confidant and advisor on terrorist activities.
* Abed al-Amir Muhammad Sablini - Head of Hezbollah's force-build Up.
* Ali Naaf Ayoub - responsible for coordinating Hezbollah's firepower.
"Jazini and Dib were among Nasrallah's closest associates and served a significant role in the day-to-day operations of Hezbollah and Nasrallah, in particular," the military said. "The terrorists gathered in their central command, under civilian buildings and near a UN school," the IDF said.
More than 80 bombs, with an average weight of one ton of explosive material per bomb, were dropped on the Hezbollah headquarters, which the bunker-busting munitions penetrated, though Israel has not confirmed the use of such bombs. Squadron 69 ("The Hammers") led the attack in Operation New Order with its F-15i ("Thunder") planes, which are considered the leading bombers of the IDF.
According to the IDF, the attack was carried out while the top brass of Hezbollah was at its headquarters and engaged in coordinating terrorist activities against the citizens of the State of Israel.
"During Nasrallah's 32-year tenure as the leader of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, he was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, and for the planning and execution of thousands of terrorist acts against the State of Israel and around the world," according to the statement that announced his assassination. "Nasrallah was the main decision-maker and the sole approver of strategic-systemic decisions, and sometimes also tactical decisions in the organization.
“On October 8, Hezbollah, led by Nasrallah, initiated a war and has since escalated the situation," IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement. "Israel warned them, but they continued their aggression against our citizens and sovereignty. The Air Force continues to strike terror targets to diminish their capabilities.”
Hagari said that Nasrallah "was one of our greatest enemies of all time - but it's not over yet."
In a statement from the Kirya defense headquarters in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, a few hours after returning from the United States and a little more than a day after the assassination of Nasrallah, Netanyahu said: "We have settled accounts with someone responsible for the murders of countless Israelis and many nationals of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of French."
Netanyahu said "at the beginning of the week, I came to the conclusion that the powerful blows that the IDF has been landing on Hezbollah in recent days were not enough. The elimination of Nasrallah is a necessary condition in achieving the objectives we have set: Returning the residents of the north safely to their homes and changing the balance of power in the region for years. As long as Nasrallah was alive, he would have quickly rebuilt the capabilities we took from Hezbollah. Therefore, I gave the directive – and Nasrallah is no longer with us."
Last week, the Air Force prepared a scheduled "hunting package," which operated around the clock in all of Lebanon, with the immediate availability of armed fighter jets in the air to eliminate senior Hezbollah officials at every window of opportunity that opened up and every time new intelligence popped up.
In a video released Saturday by the IDF, the commander of the Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, was heard telling the pilots after the attack: "You have delivered a show of strength and victory. We really hope we have destroyed this terrorist organization." The pilot answered him: "We will reach everyone and everywhere, and we will do whatever it takes to return the kidnapped and the residents of the north home."
An IDF spokesman for the foreign media, Nadav Shoshani, said Saturday that the army hopes that the elimination of Nasrallah will lead to "a change in Hezbollah's actions." He refused to say whether US-made No. 84 bunker-penetrating bombs were used in the elimination and also refused to name an estimated number of civilians who were killed in an attack.