Israel’s military has announced the death of Hashem Safieddine, a key Hezbollah leader and the man widely believed to be the successor of the group’s longtime chief, Hassan Nasrallah, in a targeted airstrike three weeks ago on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
DAILY POST had reported that Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 27.
According to a statement by the Israeli army, Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, and Ali Hussein Hazima, head of the group’s Intelligence Directorate, were among several commanders killed during the strike on Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.
“It can now be confirmed that in an attack approximately three weeks ago, Hashem Safieddine and other senior Hezbollah commanders were killed,” the statement read.
Israeli military officials described this as a significant blow to Hezbollah’s leadership.
Hezbollah has not officially responded to Israel’s claims regarding the deaths of Safieddine and Hazima. Safieddine had been tipped to succeed Nasrallah, his distant cousin, as leader of the Iran-backed militant group.
The strikes on Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut are part of an ongoing Israeli offensive in Lebanon, which escalated in late September after more than a year of conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
In response to cross-border fire from Hezbollah, Israel has intensified airstrikes on Lebanon and deployed ground troops to secure its northern border.
The ongoing conflict has claimed the lives of at least 1,552 people in Lebanon since September 23, according to Lebanese health ministry figures.
Israeli forces have struck multiple Hezbollah targets across the country, including Beirut and the southern cities of Nabatiyeh and Hermel.
Israel’s army chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said, “We have reached Nasrallah, his replacement, and most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership.”
The Israeli military continues to press its offensive, with fresh airstrikes reported Tuesday in southern Beirut, following warnings for residents to evacuate the area.
As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah rages on, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss efforts toward a ceasefire in Gaza.
Blinken urged Netanyahu to seize the momentum from Israel’s recent killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and work towards ending the conflict in the Palestinian territory.
However, with Israel focusing on its northern border and continuing airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, the broader regional conflict shows little sign of de-escalation.
Israeli airstrikes have devastated several civilian areas in Lebanon. On Tuesday, strikes near a hospital in Beirut killed 18 people, including children, and flattened multiple buildings.
Humanitarian agencies have expressed alarm at the rising civilian toll, while Hezbollah continues to launch rocket fire into northern Israel.
The conflict, which started with Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has since spiraled into a broader regional war involving Lebanon, Gaza, and Israel, with both Hezbollah and Israel suffering heavy losses.
