A senior official in the Israeli Mossad confirmed that agency agents were present inside Beirut and carried out their missions “with courage and determination” to secure precise intelligence that contributed to the assassination of Hezbollah’s former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah last September.

He revealed that “these agents operated under fire in the heart of the southern suburbs to provide accurate intelligence for the operation.”

This was announced during a ceremony held at the presidential headquarters in Jerusalem, where Israeli President Isaac Herzog awarded the Mossad the Israeli Defense Prize in recognition of its role in the operation.

An officer in the recruitment and operations department said, “This operation was born when an ambitious technological idea met the best technical minds, and thanks to cooperation between the Israeli army, Mossad, the Directorate of Research and Development, defense industries, and academics, the idea became a reality. But technology alone is not enough; fieldwork deep in enemy territory was necessary, through which the impossible was made possible.”

He explained that Mossad agents “moved inside Beirut under fire and with determination to provide accurate information that enabled the strike.”

He added that September 27 marked a decisive turning point after 10 days of intense fighting that began with Operation ‘Pillars,’ which shattered Hezbollah’s morale and inflicted significant damage on its capabilities.

For his part, Mossad chief David Barnea considered the award to hold special symbolism this year as it reflects the strength of the Israeli security apparatus in confronting Hezbollah, from Operation ‘Pillars’ to the assassination of Nasrallah.

Nasrallah was killed on September 27 last year inside the southern suburbs of Beirut, Hezbollah’s stronghold.

The operation involved dropping more than 80 bombs, each weighing one ton, on the location where he was present. According to the Israeli army, the Hezbollah command center beneath a residential building in the southern suburbs, where its leadership held meetings, was targeted.