The President's Daily Brief - PDB Special Bulletin | September 28th, 2024: Hezbollah Chief Killed in Beirut

Episode Date: September 28, 2024

In this PDB Special Bulletin, Mike reports on the death of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.    Email: [e-mail]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Some breaking news out of the Middle East, both the Israeli Defense Forces, the IDF, and Hezbollah have now confirmed that Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the terrorist group, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday afternoon. The statement confirming the operation reads, quote, The IDF announces that Friday, September 27, 2024, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and one of its founders, was eliminated by the IDF, together with Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front and additional Hezbollah commanders.

The statement added, quote, the strike was conducted while Hezbollah's senior chain of command were operating from the headquarters and advancing terrorist activities against the citizens of the state of Israel. End quote. Early reports also indicate that members of the Iranian regime's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, were also in the meeting with Nasrallah and were killed in the strike. Now imagine that. The IRGC meeting with Hezbollah to discuss continued attacks on Israel. I am shocked that there's gambling going on in Rick's Cafe. In a more succinct message, the Israeli Defense Forces official ex-account wrote, quote, Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.

Despite initial claims that Nasrallah was, quote, fine and well, Hezbollah has also now confirmed that its leader was killed in Friday's airstrike. The group said in a statement given to Reuters that its chief has, quote, joined his fellow martyrs, but that the group would, quote, continue its jihad. in confronting the enemy in support of Gaza and Palestine and in defense of Lebanon and its steadfast and honorable people." The Lebanese health ministry said at least six people were killed and 91 injured in the strikes, which leveled six apartment buildings. That number is almost certain to grow.

Hezbollah's headquarters were located beneath a residential building in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Now, Nasrallah's role in Hezbollah can't be overstated, having led the group for over 30 years. His rise to prominence came back in 1992 when he became Hezbollah's secretary general following the assassination of his predecessor. Under his leadership, Hezbollah evolved from a guerrilla group into a powerful political and military force inside Lebanon. The group has also carried out numerous acts of terrorism. Nasrallah initiated, planned, and executed countless attacks against not just Israelis, but Jewish communities and people around the world. Notably, there was the 1992 Israeli embassy bombing in Buenos Aires, which killed 29 people and injured over 200.

There was also the 1994 Jewish Community Center bombing in that same city, which killed 85 people. Lebanese Hezbollah is also believed to have had a connection to the 1996 bombing of the Kobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, which resulted in the death of 19 U.S. servicemen. And, of course, the Beirut Barracks bombings in 1983 that killed 200,000. 141 U.S. Marines and over 50 French soldiers. As we noted yesterday, the death of Nasrallah will leave a major power vacuum in both Hezbollah and Lebanon. For decades, Nasrallah operated from undisclosed locations due to the threat of Israeli assassination attempts. Friday's airstrike proving to be the one that finally

succeeded. According to reports, the strike came shortly after Prime Minister Nanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly. During that speech, Nanyahu won't Hezbollah, that Israel had a right to go on the offensive. He said, quote, as long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely, and that's exactly what we're doing, end quote. Nanyahu's office said he had personally approved the operation. The U.S. asserts it was unaware of Israel's operation.

On Friday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters, quote, the United States was not involved in Israel's operation, adding that there was no advance warning from the Israelis. Iranian state television also confirmed Nasrallah's death. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamini in a Saturday message said, quote, the resistance movement headed by Hezbollah will decide the fate of the region, end quote. Of course, now they'll have to do that without Nasrallah and numerous senior Hezbollah commanders who have been targeted and terminated in the past weeks. We'll continue to monitor the fallout from this development and, of course, its implications for regional stability.

I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back on Monday. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Because behind every headline is a bottom line. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings, there's a money side to every story. and when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.