Hezbollah operatives reportedly located and identified Hassan Nasrallah’s body early Saturday, along with that of a prominent military commander, Ali Karaki, based on intelligence gathered from within Lebanon, The New York Times reported. 

According to the newspaper, citing three senior Israeli defense sources, Nasrallah’s location had been tracked for several months and it was decided to carry out a strike last week, believing there was a limited window of opportunity before the Hezbollah leader moved to a different location. 

Two of these officials indicated that over 80 bombs were dropped in a matter of minutes to eliminate Nasrallah, although they did not disclose the specifics regarding the weight or type of the munitions used.

The three officials also noted that Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah and a significant figure in Hezbollah's political and social operations, was among the few high-ranking leaders absent from the site of the attack. There is speculation that Safieddine, who has long been viewed as a potential successor to Nasrallah, may soon be announced as Hezbollah’s new secretary-general.