Elimination of Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah a Watershed Moment in Israel’s War Against Iranian Proxies

Latest Developments

Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy terrorist organization in Lebanon, confirmed on September 28 that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was eliminated in an Israeli strike on Beirut the previous day. Others killed with Nasrallah include Ali Karaki – a senior Hezbollah commander who narrowly escaped death in an Israeli strike last week – and Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, the deputy commander for operations of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Nasrallah’s death marks a watershed in Israel’s campaign to dismantle Hezbollah’s efficacy as a fighting force. Following the October 7 Hamas atrocities in southern Israel, Hezbollah has launched a relentless series of rocket and missile attacks against northern Israel, displacing 60,000 residents of the area from their homes.

Since the early 1980s, Hezbollah and its precursor groups have been responsible for a slew of bloody terrorist attacks around the world, including the bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 1983 and 1984, the bombing of the U.S. and French Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, and the bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires in 1994, along with dozens of other outrages that have together claimed thousands of lives. Hezbollah terrorists also played a pivotal role in the Syrian civil war, carrying out massacres of civilians at the behest of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.   

Expert Analysis

“Over just nine days, Israel has decimated Hezbollah’s leadership, culminating in the elimination of the arch-terrorist Nasrallah, whose bloody footprint stretches from Buenos Aires to Bulgaria to Beirut, and who is directly responsible for the murder and maiming of thousands of Americans and Israelis. The ultimate challenge is to Hezbollah’s chief backer, Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose strategy of fighting Israel to the last Palestinian and Lebanese now lies in tatters.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Nasrallah’s death can be a game changer if the White House and Netanyahu government work together to create pressure and leverage on the Iranian regime and its axis of proxies. If the U.S. and Israel don’t work together to use this massive shift in momentum, it will be an opportunity squandered. The ball is in both of their courts.” — Jonathan Schanzer, FDD Senior Vice President for Research

“Tens of thousands of Syrians who were starved and murdered by Hezbollah and their henchmen during the civil war have seen a measure of justice in recent days. These strikes against Hezbollah and its leadership highlight the ongoing struggle in which Israel finds itself — a battle between the forces of good and evil. It is imperative that the United States, as Israel’s ally, acknowledges this crucial moment and extends its unwavering support to its most significant partner in the Middle East.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

Related Analysis

“Israel Eliminates Head of Hezbollah Drone Unit,” FDD Flash Brief

“IDF Reserve Brigades Deployed in Northern Israel as Hezbollah Launches Ballistic Missile at Tel Aviv,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israeli Strike on Beirut Eliminates Hezbollah Missile Chief,” FDD Flash Brief

“10 Things to Know About Hezbollah,” FDD Insight