Hellfire R9X Missile, no blast and a planned operation: How U.S. killed Al-Qaeda’s Al-Zawahiri

After weeks of tracking and planning, the U.S. CIA assassinated Al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul. President Joe Biden ordered a precision strike. According to reports, Al-Zawahri was standing on the balcony of his hideout when the two Hellfire missiles were launched, killing him instantly. The U.S. reportedly used Hellfire R9X, a warhead-less missile believed to be equipped with six razor-like blades extending from the fuselage that slices through its target but does not explode.