Michael Pregent, Terrorism Analyst: The Islamic Republic Never Imagined Losing Hezbollah's Leadership

Michael Pregent, a terrorism and Middle East analyst at the Hudson Institute, commented on the death of Hassan Nasrallah to Voice of America: "The Islamic Republic of Iran never even imagined that it would lose the leadership of Hezbollah and Hezbollah's capabilities after October 7. They believed they could use Hezbollah not only to carry out specific attacks against Israel but also to use them as a deterrent power." Pregent continued: "Deterrence in such a way that Israel would not attack Iran. This is now gone. This is a very big issue. The ruling clerics in Tehran have lost the capabilities of Hamas, lost the capabilities of Hezbollah, Iraqi militants have fled and are looking for a place to hide. Some reports say a senior commander of the Quds Force was also killed in this attack. This is a significant blow to the Islamic Republic." Norman Roule, a senior advisor on 'Policy for an Alliance Against a Nuclear Iran', in an interview with Voice of America regarding his assessment of Hassan Nasrallah's killing stated: "Israeli defense forces have eliminated a generation of Hezbollah's leadership. What they lost is not limited to administrative coordination. They lost several decades of experience from wars and conflicts in Syria and in relation to Tehran. The Israeli Defense Forces have changed the identity of Hezbollah." Israel Katz, Israel's Foreign Minister, in a message on 'X', praised the Israeli government and military for their 'extraordinary' planning and operation to kill Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Iran's proxy group in the region. The Foreign Minister wrote: "The removal of Nasrallah, the main terrorist, is one of the most justified counter-terrorism actions that Israel has ever taken. He dedicated his life to destroying Israel and has led terrorist actions against Israel for thirty years, including in recent days. He deserved to be killed, and his death is a good event. I commend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for taking this brave action. I also thank the Minister of Defense and cabinet members for approving it and the Chief of Staff and the army for the extraordinary planning and execution of this operation. We will continue to defend Israel's security." Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, also stated that Hassan Nasrallah's death makes the world a 'safer place'. He noted that Nasrallah was killed by a 'precise attack' from Israeli defense forces on Hezbollah's central headquarters in Beirut while he was commanding further imminent attacks against the people of Israel. Hagari described Nasrallah as 'one of the greatest enemies of Israel of all time' who had been a threat to Israeli citizens for several decades, with the blood of countless men, women, and children from Israel and citizens of other countries including the USA, UK, France, Lebanon, and Syria on his hands. He stated that Hezbollah began its attacks on Israel the day after Hamas's attack and had committed to planning and executing a similar attack to the 'October 7 massacre' on a 'larger scale' at the northern borders of the country. Hagari added that fighter jets are currently targeting this group throughout Lebanon. He emphasized that Hezbollah has more capabilities and said: 'This matter is not over.' After the Israeli army announced on Saturday, October 7, that Hassan Nasrallah had been killed in an Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Hezbollah also eventually confirmed the death of its Secretary-General in these attacks. Hassan Nasrallah was the third Secretary-General of Hezbollah after Subhi al-Tufayli and Abbas Musawi and was one of the most loyal commanders of Iran's proxy forces to Ali Khamenei. In one of his most famous speeches to the people of Iran and the world, he stated: 'I say clearly in front of the world, the budget and expenses for food, weapons, and missiles of Hezbollah come from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and no sanctions will affect this process.' The Israeli army: We are on standby for broader conflict. The New York Times: Israel knew months before the attack on Nasrallah where he was located. Hezbollah Lebanon confirmed Nasrallah's death. France: Our intelligence assessment indicates Nasrallah's death. Reuters: Khamenei has been moved to a 'safe location'. Netanyahu: Enemies thought we were like a spider web, but we have steel tendons. Biden orders US forces to be on standby following Israel's heavy attack on Hezbollah positions. The founder of Hezbollah Lebanon called for the trial and punishment of the leader of the Islamic Republic.