Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly urged Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah to leave Lebanon just days before an Israeli attack claimed his life, according to three Iranian sources.
Nasrallah was targeted by an Israeli strike following intelligence that Israeli agents had infiltrated Hezbollah ranks, one senior Iranian official told Reuters.
After the strike on September 17, Khamenei sent an envoy, Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, to warn Nasrallah to seek refuge in Iran. The general, who was with Nasrallah in an underground bunker when it was bombed, was also killed in the attack.
In response to Nasrallah’s death, Khamenei ordered a missile barrage against Israel, launching around 200 rockets in retaliation, according to a senior Iranian official. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards confirmed the strike was also in response to the earlier assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.
The assassination of Nasrallah came after a series of Israeli operations that severely weakened Hezbollah by eliminating key leaders and military assets, significantly damaging the group’s operational capacity, according to sources. The chaos within Hezbollah and Iran’s own internal concerns about Israeli infiltration are complicating efforts to maintain the Axis of Resistance, Iran’s long-standing alliance of anti-Israel groups.
Hezbollah is now facing difficulties appointing a new leader, with fears that Israeli agents could still be active within its ranks, according to Lebanese sources. Magnus Ranstorp, an expert on Hezbollah, noted that the death of Nasrallah marks a devastating blow to Iran’s influence and military capabilities near Israel’s borders. This loss may push Iran to revive past tactics of targeting Israeli personnel and embassies abroad.
