Body of Hassan Nasrallah recovered, Israel says ’more than 20’ Hezbollah members killed in Lebanon strikes

The body of slain Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was recovered on Sunday as Israel continued its bombardment of Lebanon.

According to a Reuters report quoting sources, the body was found intact with no direct wounds. The cause of death appeared to be blunt trauma from the force of the blast. Hezbollah had confirmed his demise on Saturday but gave no additional details about the circumstances or when his funeral might be held.

Hezbollah has so far confirmed the passing of at least seven high-ranking officials over the past few days — including founding members who had evaded death or detention for decades. The list includes senior commander Ali Karaki who was the head of the southern front. 

The development came even as the Israeli military said it had struck “dozens” of fresh targets on Sunday and announced the death of another high-ranking official – Nabil Kaouk. Officials said the strike which killed Nasrallah had also “eliminated” more than 20 other members of the Lebanese armed group.

"More than 20 other terrorists of varying ranks, who were present at the underground headquarters in Beirut located beneath civilian buildings, and were managing Hezbollah's terrorist operations against the state of Israel, were also eliminated," the military said in a statement.

Nasrallah and other top commanders had gathered in Beirut to discuss strategies against Israel when the attack took place on Friday. The Israeli military reportedly used nearly 80 tons of explosives to target the heavily fortified bunker located more than 60 feet underground. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had accused Israel of using “several 5,000-pound bunker busters that had been gifted to them by the US” in the hours following the attack. 

The recent attacks are a sharp escalation in nearly a year of tit-for-tat cross-border exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel since the Gaza conflict began, and risks plunging the entire region into a wider war.

(With inputs from agencies)