Senior Israeli officials confirm Nasrallah’s location has been known for months

Israeli leaders have been tracking the location of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for months, and the decision to strike Friday was made only because they believed they had only a short window of opportunity before he disappeared elsewhere, three senior Israeli defense officials said New York Times on Saturday.

According to NYTofficials reported that more than 80 bombs were dropped within minutes to kill Nasrallah, although they did not confirm the weight or model of the bombs used. The death of the Hezbollah leader was confirmed on Saturday.

Sources I spoke to NYT anonymously added that the operation was previously scheduled a week before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to address the UN General Assembly.

All three officials said Hashem Safieddine was one of the few remaining senior Hezbollah leaders who was not at the strike site.

Officials said NYT they believed that Safieddine could be announced as the new Secretary General of Hezbollah.

Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, expresses condolences to Ali Badreddine, son of Hezbollah’s supreme commander Mustafa Badreddine, who was killed in an attack in Syria in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on May 13, 2016. (Source: AZIZ TAHER/REUTERS )

The services reported that on Saturday morning, Hezbollah officers identified Nasrallah’s body, as well as the body of high-ranking Hezbollah military commander Ali Karaki.

Who is Hashem Safieddine?

Hashem Safieddine, designated a terrorist by the U.S. State Department in 2017, is a cousin of Nasrallah who has long been considered a potential successor.

As head of the executive council, Safieddine oversees Hezbollah’s political affairs. He also sits on the Jihad Council, which manages the group’s military operations.