Sources close to the Islamic resistance in Lebanon revealed that the primary target in the Nabatieh operation was the leader Ali Karky, who is one of the highest-ranking jihadist figures in Hezbollah. Due to the deceptive operations employed by the party in recent days after repeated breaches, Karky was not in the car at the time, thus escaping for the second time from an assassination attempt by Israel.
In 2019, the U.S. Treasury announced that it had imposed sanctions on four Lebanese individuals, including Ali Karky. The statement read: "The U.S. Treasury Department has announced new sanctions on four Lebanese individuals, claiming they are ‘affiliated with Hezbollah,’ among them: Ali Karky, former MP Muhammad Haidar, Fuad Shukr, and Ibrahim Aqil." The Treasury's statement indicated that Karky is "a leader in the Jihad Council affiliated with Hezbollah and responsible for military operations in southern Lebanon." Meanwhile, Aqil is described as "one of the senior members of the party's Jihadi council and responsible for the party's military operations." The statement also noted that Haidar "managed the party’s networks outside Lebanon," and Shukr "supervises Hezbollah’s weapon units in Syria, the missile unit, and is a close military advisor to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah."
Israel initially justified its announcement of an assassination of a high-ranking Hezbollah leader, believing that Karky was present in the targeted vehicle. The targeted vehicle was chased with missiles until it reached Nabatieh, where those inside managed to escape, and some were injured.
