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00:00Israel Defense Forces, the IDF, saying Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize
00:06the world.
00:07So that's pretty clear.
00:09We were unable to get confirmation throughout the night.
00:14We were hearing reports, sources close to Hezbollah, saying that Hassan Nasrallah, the
00:18leader of Hezbollah for 32 years, the leader of Hezbollah was fine and that he was in a
00:24safe place.
00:25We were getting reports on the Israeli side saying that Israel would not have carried
00:30out such a major strike against the neighborhood in Beirut if it wasn't sure that Hassan Nasrallah,
00:37or as sure as it possibly could be, that Hassan Nasrallah wasn't down below in what they call
00:43an underground bunker below residential buildings.
00:47So we were getting competing narratives depending on who you were asking.
00:52But now that statement from the Israel Defense Forces that Hassan Nasrallah will no longer
00:57be able to terrorize the world, that's pretty clear now what the fate of the Hezbollah leader
01:04is.
01:05And of course, now the big question is, will Israel launch a ground offensive into Lebanon?
01:11That's the big question that everyone here in Israel is asking.
01:15And Khalil, can you take us through the way Israel's strategy has evolved this week?
01:20We began with the remarkable Pager and Walkie Talkie attacks, which was followed by subsequent
01:27strikes in Beirut.
01:29And those really provocative comments also from Israel's defense minister, Yoav Galant.
01:33Any idea where this is headed now that Israel's also activating more battalions?
01:39Certainly, Israel activating more battalions in the north of the country.
01:45Troops, it says, are in combat positions.
01:48The aim, of course, and Benjamin Netanyahu at the U.N. General Assembly just yesterday,
01:53the Israeli prime minister, saying that the ultimate goal was to defeat Hezbollah and
01:57make sure that Israeli citizens could return to their homes and live in security.
02:02Now, of course, there is another dimension to that, because while Israel has superiority
02:09in the skies, a ground offensive is a different matter altogether.
02:14And although Israel has significantly degraded Hezbollah, obviously now we're seeing this
02:20statement that Hafez Nasrallah, the leader, has been killed.
02:23But earlier on in the week, pounding positions, Hezbollah positions across Israel, those Pager
02:29and Walkie Talkie attacks last week and in the last several weeks and even months, Israel
02:34has knocked out some key leaders within Hezbollah, the head of the elite Radwan forces, the head
02:40of the drones program, the head of the missiles program.
02:44So Hezbollah is clearly significantly weakened, but that doesn't mean that a ground operation
02:49would be risk-free for Israeli soldiers.
02:52And many Israelis will be concerned about the price that their troops could pay if a
02:58ground operation was launched.
02:59So there's a question mark as to whether a ground operation is on the cards.
03:03Israel says its troops are ready, but they've not been given the green light yet.