In an extremely unconventional show of force, the Israeli Air Force conducted a fighter flyover over Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral.
The dramatic show-of-force operation involved four Israeli Air Force fighter jets: two F-15I Ra’ams from 69 Squadron and two F-35I Adirs from 104 Squadron, which flew in finger four formation at low altitude over Hezbollah’s followers mourning the loss of Hassan Nasrallah. The funeral was held in the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on Feb. 23, 2025.
Additional footage shows Israeli Air Force fighter jets flying low over Nasrallah’s funeral earlier today. pic.twitter.com/3jo9LCcjwo
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 23, 2025
Notably, in official images released by the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces), the Adirs lacked Luneburg lenses, which the jets are usually equipped with to hide the aircraft’s true RCS (Radar Cross Signature). It is unclear if the jets carried ordnance, although the F-35Is flew in complete stealth configuration, while the F-15Is carried their usual CFTs (Conformal Fuel Tanks) in addition to two 610 gallon external fuel tanks on the wing.
The Israeli Defense Minister commented that “Those who threaten and attack Israel will meet the same fate. You focus on funerals—we focus on victories.”
“רעם אדיר” בשמי לבנון:
מטוסי קרב של חיל-האוויר במהלך הלוויתו של חסן נסראללה בביירות. pic.twitter.com/WPRLRrNI1H
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) February 23, 2025
The flyover, which was reminiscent of those at funerals of high-ranking military officers, served as a reminder of Israel’s total aerial supremacy over the area, even in Lebanon’s most sensitive airspace.
The strike that killed Nasrallah
Nassan Nasrallah was killed almost five months ago, on Sep. 27, 2024, in an IDF strike at one of Hezbollah’s underground bunkers located in southern Beirut, as part of Operation New Order. However, the ongoing war with Israel meant that a public funeral of this scale could not take place and was delayed until Feb. 23.
תיעוד מחיסולם של חסן נסראללה, עלי כרכי ומפקדים נוספים במפקדה התת-קרקעית ובתשתיות הצבאיות של חיזבאללה בביירות, ב-27 בספטמבר 2024, במסגרת מבצע “סדר חדש”. צפו: pic.twitter.com/0PbBhPIrKJ
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) February 23, 2025
The precision strikes took place on Hezbollah’s underground central command center, which was located within a civilian area in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district. It is known that GBU-31/B JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) with BLU-109/B Bunker Buster warheads were involved in the strike. It is also believed that the strike involved over eight IAF F-15Is, with photos showing each equipped with seven of the Bunker Buster JDAMs.
As Bunker Busters, these JDAMs detonate after burrowing through thick layers of concrete, thus allowing for a precise explosion in a subterranean complex. By layering these bombs one on top of the other, they can be used to ‘dig deeper’ into the ground as well. You can read a more detailed account of the strike here.
Besides Nasrallah, who was killed in this strike, the funeral also mourned the loss of Hashem Safieddine, who commanded Hezbollah as a successor to Nasrallah following his death, before Israel killed him too.
Simultaneous strikes on Lebanese soil
The IDF also simultaneously conducted strikes within Lebanon during the funeral procession. According to the IDF, “sites containing rocket launchers and weapons” in southern and eastern Lebanon were targeted in precision strikes on the 23rd.
חיל-האוויר תקף לפני זמן קצר באופן ממוקד, אתר צבאי המכיל משגרי רקטות ואמצעי לחימה בשטח לבנון, בו זוהתה פעילות של חיזבאללה.
בנוסף, הותקפו מספר משגרים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב דרום לבנון, אשר היוו איום על אזרחי מדינת ישראל.
פעילויות אלה של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה מהוות הפרה של…
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) February 23, 2025
Furthermore, the IAF stated that “The Air Force recently attacked military structures containing weapons in southern Lebanon, where activity by the terrorist organization Hezbollah was detected. These activities of the terrorist organization Hezbollah constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon” on their official X account.
חיל-האוויר תקף לפני זמן קצר צירי מעבר בגבול סוריה-לבנון, דרכם מנסה ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה להעביר אמצעי לחימה ללבנון.
ניסיונות אלו מהווים הפרה בוטה של ההבנות בין ישראל ללבנון.
צה״ל ימשיך לפעול על מנת להסיר כל איום על מדינת ישראל וימנע כל ניסיון התבססות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה.
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) February 22, 2025
Another X post also revealed that the IDF “attacked crossings on the Syria-Lebanon border, through which the terrorist organization Hezbollah is attempting to transport weapons to Lebanon.” The attacks were carried out in order to “remove any threat to the State of Israel and prevent any attempt by the terrorist organization Hezbollah to establish itself,” according to the same post.
