On September 27, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a precision strike on Hezbollah's headquarters in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, Abbas Nilforoushan, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Deputy Commander, and 20 other Hezbollah fighters.
Victoria Coates, Vice President of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at Heritage, commented on the strikes:
“Make no mistake, Hassan Nasrallah’s death is a blessing for Israel and the United States. For decades, Hezbollah has orchestrated several major terror attacks against the United States including the suicide truck bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in October 1983, and the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut in September 1984, as well as the hijacking of TWA 847 in 1985. These attacks killed hundreds of Americans.
“Hamas has been a designated Foreign Terrorist Group since 1997, and Nasrallah was personally designated in 2001. Hezbollah executed the Iranian attack on the AMIA Jewish Center in Buenos Aires and unsuccessfully plotted the assassination of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States in 2011, which brought Nasrallah’s terrorism to our own hemisphere—and even our own shores.
“The precision strikes significantly degrade Hezbollah’s ability to conduct future attacks against Israel and the United States. It’s unclear what remains of Hezbollah’s arsenal—if there’s anything left at all. The IDF deserves our thanks.”
Robert Greenway, Director of Heritage's Allison Center for National Security added:
“Since 1992, Hassan Nasrallah has launched a full-frontal assault against Israel, the United States, and his own people. His assassination is as significant for peace and stability in the region as the elimination of Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden in 2011.
“Now that Nasrallah is dead along with most of Hezbollah’s high-level leadership, Hezbollah forces will have extreme difficulty coordinating and executing future attacks against Israel and the United States.
“Israel has an undeniable responsibility to defend itself against all evil actors, and the United States should continue its unwavering support for its greatest ally in the Middle East.”