An Israeli news outlet has claimed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah may have “suffocated” from toxic gases inside his secret bunker after it was demolished by an Israeli airstrike.
Officials pulled Nasrallah out of the bunker on Sunday, finding his body intact with no visible wounds on him, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
This suggested he was buried by rubble after 80 tons of bunker-busting bombs were dropped on his fortified hideout on Friday,
The Israeli outlet claims the cave-in caused the 64-year-old to suffocate and die in “agony” as the room filled with fumes from the smoke and explosions.
Medical and security officials who pulled Nasrallah’s body out of the hole in southern Beirut, however, told Reuters that he was most likely killed by blunt trauma due to the explosions.
Hezbollah officials have kept quiet on the details of Nasrallah’s death, with the terror chief’s body transported to a nearby hospital in the capital.
What to know about the Israeli strike on Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah:
- Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 27, 2024.
- The fatal airstrike was delivered by the IDF with 80 tons of “bunker-busting” bombs that were powerful enough to penetrate Nasrallah’s underground hideout. It comes after a years-long operation by Israeli intelligence to find his command center in Beirut.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the killing of Nasrallah necessary and a potential “historic turning point” in the Middle East. President Biden called the operation a “measure of justice” for Hezbollah’s terror victims.
- Israel’s next move against Hezbollah will likely be determined by Iran’s reaction to the airstrike, experts say.
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was moved to a secure location following the death of Nasrallah.
The Hezbollah leader was killed on Friday during a bombing campaign in Lebanon, where Israeli intelligence tracked Nasrallah to an underground command center where he was to meet with his leadership.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in New York for his speech at the United Nations when he green-lit the decision to drop Israel’s bunker-buster bombs to take out Nasrallah.
Hezbollah’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, has vowed revenge for Nasrallah’s death and the ongoing bombardment in southern Lebanon.
