On the fateful day of October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing many of its soldiers and civilians and taking as many as 250 Israeli and other nationals hostage, aiming to use them as leverage to prevent any Israeli retaliation.

The attack enraged both Israelis and Americans, prompting a robust, comprehensive, and decisive military offensive with the ultimate objective of obliterating Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and neutralizing the perceived Iranian nuclear threat.

Following his address at the United Nations General Assembly this year, the Israeli Prime Minister ordered a targeted strike against Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. In the attack, Nasrallah was martyred with several other high-ranking members of Hezbollah.

The strike, executed with precision-guided US made bunker buster bombs obliterate Hezbollah’s headquarters and nearby structures, resulting in the death of multiple occupants. This was the third high-profile killing since the start of the offensive after October 7.

The first target was the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, an ardent supporter of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, who died under mysterious circumstances. According to conspiracy theories, Israel, with the assistance of the US, induced a fault in the electronic and communication systems of an aging helicopter. This malfunction caused the pilots to lose control, resulting in a violent crash in an uninhabitable and remote location.

The second high-profile killing was that of Ismail Haniyeh, who was attending a ceremony in Iran. He was asleep, believing himself to be safe under the watchful protection of the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Neither Haniyeh nor the Iranians had any clue about the origin of the precision missile that struck, killing him in a state of total helplessness and vulnerability.

Qamar Bashir

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024