A Lebanese security source says an Iranian informant tipped off Israel about the whereabouts of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah before his assassination Friday.
Nasrallah was killed in his highly secure underground headquarters, built under a complex of six buildings in the heart of Dahieh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, in a massive Israeli airstrike on Friday.
Using intelligence from an Iranian mole to ensure his presence before launching the deadly attack, “the Israelis went all out; they didn't want to miss their target," Le Parisien quoted the unnamed Lebanese security source as saying.
According to the source, the Iranian infiltrator informed the Israelis about the imminent arrival of the Shiite leader on Friday afternoon of Friday, a few hours before the strikes.
Israel’s F-35s, equipped with bunker-buster bombs, were reportedly waiting in Lebanese airspace for the target to arrive at the command center.
According to Le Parisien, Nasrallah arrived at his command center for an emergency meeting along with a commander of IRGC’s extraterritorial Quds Force regiment, shortly after the funeral of Mohamed Hussein Srour, a Hezbollah drone unit commander killed in an airstrike the day before.
Twelve other commanders were present for the emergency meeting with Nasrallah. Iran has confirmed the death of Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard for operations but he was not a member of IRGC-Quds Force.
The Israeli military waited until all were gathered in the secure underground room where Hezbollah used to plan its military operations before giving the order to strike. In total, Israeli F-35s dropped six two-ton bombs.
"This is the largest attack we've seen since 2006," the same security source said. The explosion was heard as far as downtown Beirut, and a thick cloud rose over Hezbollah’s headquarters. Only rubble remains in a giant 30-meter-deep crater. Two neighboring buildings were also destroyed.
Since the killing of the long-time Hezbollah leader and the decapitation of its command, the organization has gone silent. A report by the New York Times said Sunday that Iran’s immediate priority is to support Hezbollah regroup, including naming a successor, establishing a new command structure, and rebuilding a secure communications network.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to pound Hezbollah's military infrastructure as it strangles the organization before it has time to regroup.