New Delhi: In a major revelation about the weaponry used in the assassination of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a U.S. senator has confirmed that Israel deployed an American-made guided bomb in last week’s high-profile strike. Senator Mark Kelly, chair of the Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee, disclosed the details during an interview on NBC on Sunday, identifying the weapon as a 2,000-lb (900-kg) Mark 84 series bomb equipped with Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) technology.
This marks the first official U.S. confirmation of the type of weapon used in the targeted killing, which has raised tensions across the Middle East. The strike took place in the heart of Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area known to be Hezbollah’s stronghold, with Israel announcing on Saturday that it had successfully eliminated Nasrallah in an airstrike on the group’s central command headquarters.
“Israel employed a 2,000-pound Mark 84 bomb with JDAMs to neutralize Nasrallah,” Kelly stated. JDAMs are advanced systems that convert standard unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions by adding a GPS navigation kit and control fins, making them highly effective for precision strikes in urban settings.
While the Israeli military confirmed the death of Nasrallah, they have remained tight-lipped about the specific weapons used. The Pentagon has also refrained from commenting on its involvement, maintaining its stance of silence regarding operational details.
The U.S., a longstanding ally and key arms supplier to Israel, has frequently provided advanced weaponry like JDAMs to assist Israel in maintaining its military edge in the volatile region. The confirmation of the use of this high-powered bomb underscores the strategic collaboration between the two nations, especially in counterterrorism operations against Hezbollah, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and several other countries.
The attack has intensified the geopolitical stakes in Lebanon, which is already grappling with a deep economic and political crisis, further complicating the fragile balance in the region.
