Details have emerged about the high-stakes Israeli operation that led to the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. According to a report by Ynet’s Ron Ben-Yishai, the mission combined Mossad infiltration with precision airstrikes, approved at the last moment by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The operation began when Mossad agents, disguised and carrying concealed packages, slipped through the alleys of Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood. Their target: a hidden underground command bunker, known only to a handful of Hezbollah guards. Agents later admitted their survival odds were “no better than 50-50,” fearing both Hezbollah fighters and Israeli shrapnel from the strikes raging overhead.

Hours earlier, the agents requested that air raids pause during their infiltration. Their handlers refused, ordering instead that bombing intensify, a move that forced Hezbollah guards to take cover and allowed the team to move undetected. Once inside, they planted advanced precision devices capable of targeting multiple depths underground, where even a one-meter miscalculation could mean survival for those inside.

When Israeli intelligence confirmed Nasrallah’s presence at a Friday meeting in the bunker, top officials debated the risks. IDF Chief Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant urged caution, warning of possible regional escalation and pressing for U.S. coordination. Mossad chief David Barnea, however, demanded immediate action.

Netanyahu, en route to the United Nations in New York, hesitated but ultimately approved the strike mid-flight. From his hotel room, he finalized the order with security chiefs, greenlighting the mission. Israeli jets launched precision strikes guided by the planted devices, destroying the bunker and killing Nasrallah.

The operation, described as one of Israel’s most daring in recent years, underscores both Mossad’s reach inside Hezbollah’s strongholds and Netanyahu’s willingness to take risks that could reshape the region’s balance of power.