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Israeli Army Adds Nasrallah to Its Assassination List

Nasrallah said in his first televised appearance after this week's electronic devices' attacks in Lebanon that Israel had dealt an "unprecedented" blow to his group, crossing all red lines with device explosions that killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days. (Photo by Al-Manar / AFP)
Nasrallah said in his first televised appearance after this week's electronic devices' attacks in Lebanon that Israel had dealt an "unprecedented" blow to his group, crossing all red lines with device explosions that killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days. (Photo by Al-Manar / AFP)
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Israeli Army Adds Nasrallah to Its Assassination List

Nasrallah said in his first televised appearance after this week's electronic devices' attacks in Lebanon that Israel had dealt an "unprecedented" blow to his group, crossing all red lines with device explosions that killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days. (Photo by Al-Manar / AFP)
Nasrallah said in his first televised appearance after this week's electronic devices' attacks in Lebanon that Israel had dealt an "unprecedented" blow to his group, crossing all red lines with device explosions that killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days. (Photo by Al-Manar / AFP)

Israel has decided to increase pressure on Lebanon's Hezbollah through new "preemptive" attacks, aiming to either push the group toward a settlement in the north that would allow residents to return to their homes or to escalate into a full-scale war. Israeli reports hinted that entering into a comprehensive war would mean the assassination of Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, following the killing of two-thirds of the party’s central leadership.
An Israeli source told Yedioth Ahronoth that Israel, in this new phase, has decided to continue striking Hezbollah, adding: "There are no red lines, and the only goal now is the safe return of the residents to their homes, and we understand the costs involved in that."
These Israeli threats came after the assassination of Hezbollah's senior military official, Ibrahim Aqil, along with several members of the Radwan Force command, in a strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
According to the newspaper, Israel is ready for a full-scale war, and the ball is in Hezbollah's court. It added that Tel Aviv is still giving Nasrallah a chance to respond to the American mediation proposal for a settlement that would allow the return of residents to the north.
Israel’s intention to continue escalating against Hezbollah was highlighted by a strained call between Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron. Channel 12 reported that Macron had a tense conversation with Netanyahu, which was confirmed by Yedioth Ahronoth. The French president accused the Israeli premier of pushing the region toward war, insisting that Israel must take a diplomatic path. He added that this is the right moment to show leadership and responsibility.
Netanyahu responded by saying: “Instead of pressuring us, it’s time you put pressure and talk to Hezbollah. We will return our people to their homes, this is a decision we made this week, and we will carry it out.”
On Saturday, Israel raised the level of threats by broadcasting an image through the Israeli army indicating that Nasrallah is at the top of the assassination list. The army released a poster featuring the Hezbollah military leadership, showing the images of nine people, six of whom had been assassinated, including Ibrahim Aqil and senior leader Foad Shukr.
The three remaining on the assassination list are Nasrallah, Ali Karaki (commander of the southern front), and Abu Ali Reza (commander of the Badr Unit). According to Walla news agency, Israel’s intent is to force Hezbollah into a settlement and avoid a full-scale war. However, if such a war breaks out, Nasrallah will be in the crosshairs.

 

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Israeli Military Changes Initial Account of Gaza Aid Worker Killings

Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Military Changes Initial Account of Gaza Aid Worker Killings

Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)

The Israeli military has provided new details that changed its initial account of the killing of 15 emergency workers near the southern Gaza city of Rafah last month but said investigators were still examining the evidence.

The 15 paramedics and emergency responders were shot dead on March 23 and buried in a shallow grave where their bodies were found a week later by officials from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent. Another man is still missing.

The military initially said soldiers had opened fire on vehicles that approached their position "suspiciously" in the dark without lights or markings. It said they killed nine fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were travelling in Palestinian Red Crescent vehicles.

But video recovered from the mobile phone of one of the dead men and published by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed emergency workers in their uniforms and clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, with their lights on, being fired on by soldiers.

The only known survivor of the incident, Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic Munther Abed, also said he had seen soldiers opening fire on clearly marked emergency response vehicles.

An Israeli military official said late on Saturday the investigators were examining the video and conclusions were expected to be presented to army commanders on Sunday.

Israeli media briefed by the military reported that troops had identified at least six of the 15 dead as members of the groups. However, the official declined to provide any evidence or detail of how the identifications were made, saying he did not want to share classified information.

"According to our information, there were terrorists there but this investigation is not over," he told reporters at the briefing late on Saturday.

The UN and the Palestinian Red Cross have demanded an independent inquiry into the killing of the paramedics.

Red Crescent officials have said 17 paramedics and emergency workers from the Red Crescent, the Civil Emergency service and the UN had been dispatched to respond to reports of injuries from Israeli air strikes.

Apart from Abed, who was detained for several hours before being released, another worker is still missing.

OPENED FIRE

The military official said initial findings from the investigation showed troops had opened fire on a vehicle at around 4 a.m., killing two members of the Hamas internal security forces, and taking another prisoner, who the official said had admitted under interrogation to being in Hamas.

As time passed, several vehicles passed along the road until, at around 6 a.m., he said troops received word from aerial surveillance that a suspicious group of vehicles was approaching.

"They feel this is another incident like what happened at 4 a.m. and they opened fire," the official said.

He said aerial surveillance footage showed the troops were at some distance when they opened fire, and he denied reports that the troops handcuffed at least some of the paramedics and shot them at close range.

"It's not from close. They opened fire from afar," he said. "There's no mistreatment of the people there."

He said the soldiers had approached the group they had shot, identifying at least some of them as fighters. However, he did not explain what evidence had prompted the assessment.

"And in their eyes, they had an encounter with terrorists, that is a successful encounter with terrorists."

He said the troops had informed the UN of the incident on the same day and initially covered the bodies with camouflage netting until they could be recovered. UN officials did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

"There was no incident where the Israeli army tried to cover up. On the contrary, they called the UN immediately."

Later, when the UN did not immediately come to take the bodies, the soldiers covered them with sand to stop animals from getting at them, the official said.

He said the vehicles were pushed out of the way by a heavy engineering vehicle to clear the road but he could not explain why the vehicles were crushed by the engineering vehicle and then buried.