[1][2] The strike took place while Hezbollah leaders were meeting at a headquarters located 60 feet (18 m) underground beneath residential buildings in Haret Hreik in the Dahieh suburb.

[2][3] Conducted by the Israeli Air Force using F-15I fighters,[4] the operation involved dropping more than 80 bombs, destroying the underground headquarters as well as nearby buildings.

[20] On 27 September, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations (UN), saying Israel was dedicated to peace, but would continue to pursue its ongoing campaign against Hezbollah.

[55] Since 23 September 2024, when Israel began its airstrikes on Lebanon, Israeli attacks have killed over 700 people,[17] injured more than 5,000,[18][17][19] and displaced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians.

[62] His time in command transformed Hezbollah into the world's most heavily armed non-state actor,[63] with its paramilitary wing surpassing the Lebanese Army in strength.

[69] However, Hezbollah's role in ambushing an Israeli border patrol unit leading up to the 2006 Lebanon War was subject to local and regional criticism.

[71] Under his leadership, Hezbollah faced criticism for its alleged involvement in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese PM Rafic Hariri[72] and the 2020 Beirut port explosion.

[76] According to The New York Times, Israeli leaders had tracked Hassan Nasrallah's location for months and opted to target him a week before the assassination, believing they had a limited timeframe before he moved elsewhere.

[78] In the early evening of 27 September 2024, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted an airstrike on Hezbollah's central headquarters located in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, in the Dahieh suburb of Beirut.

[79] According to Le Parisien, citing a Lebanese security source, an Iranian mole was responsible for informing the IDF of Nasrallah's whereabouts before the strike occurred.

[84] The strike occurred shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly to say that Israel's campaign against Hezbollah would continue.

IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated Hezbollah's main headquarters were the target, located beneath residential buildings.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV reported that four buildings were reduced to rubble as a result of the explosion, which was so powerful that tremors were felt up to 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Beirut.

[90] On 29 September 2024, Nasrallah's body was recovered with no obvious wounds; according to Reuters, two sources suggested he had died from blunt force trauma sustained during the attack.

The impacted area consisted of civilian apartment buildings built over subterranean Hezbollah facilities; several structures were completely reduced to rubble and widespread destruction could be seen in the aftermath of the strike.

[107] On 30 September, Hezbollah's acting leader, Naim Qassem, said the group's struggle would continue, and that it was prepared to face an Israeli ground assault.

[109] Hezbollah's Christian ally Michel Aoun gave condolences to Nasrallah's family, saying: "Lebanon has lost an exceptional leader who led the national resistance.

[113] In Beirut, Lebanese army tanks were deployed near the Burj Al Ghazal bridge to prevent clashes between Shia and Christian neighborhoods.

[114] In the eastern part of the city, where Hezbollah's political rivals hold influence, some residents reacted to Nasrallah's death with a mix of surprise and celebration.

[78] On 28 September, in response to the IDF's announcement of Nasrallah's assassination, Khamenei urged Muslims to support Hezbollah and the Lebanese people in confronting Israel's "wicked regime".

[144][145] Kata'ib Hezbollah blamed "Zionist-American aggression" for Nasrallah's death while Ashab al Kahf warned that any participants or backers of the attack were part of its "upcoming target bank.

"[146] US analysts initially believed the IDF dropped more than fifteen US-made bombs (either BLU-109s or Mark 84s weighing 2,000 pounds (910 kg) each), with a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kit, to kill Nasrallah.

"[74] Writing in The New York Times, Farnaz Fassihi said the assassination of Nasrallah eliminated a key figure of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's inner circle, as Iran had spent forty years developing Hezbollah as a frontline defense against Israel.

According to their analysis, "In retrospect, this was the outcome of Nasrallah’s making two strategic mistakes: grossly underestimating Israel, his foe, and overestimating the abilities of his patron, Iran, and its network of allied militant groups in the region.

[153] According to The Washington Post, the killing of Nasrallah "left a shaken Lebanon ... a void the militant group might struggle to fill, and its battle with Israel on an uncertain and possibly more violent path.

"[112] In The Daily Telegraph, Adrian Blomfield stated that the assassination "may forever cripple Hezbollah, weaken Iranian influence and potentially even reshape the Middle East itself."