Deceased Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's successor 'unreachable' after Israeli airstrike: Report
Beirut: The status of Hashem Safieddine, the designated successor to the late Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, remains uncertain after he was reportedly unreachable following an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday, media reports said.
Sources cited by Reuters revealed that "Safieddine had been unreachable since the strike," adding that ongoing Israeli air raids on the southern suburb of Dahiyeh in Beirut have hindered rescue efforts in the area.
Late Thursday night, Israel launched a significant series of airstrikes on Beirut, one of the heaviest bombardments since the assassination of Nasrallah.
Reports indicate that the strikes occurred while Safieddine, a senior Hezbollah leader and Nasrallah’s potential heir, was in an underground bunker meeting with other leaders.
Sources close to Hezbollah, cited by Reuters, indicated that Safieddine was severely injured during the attack.
However, there has been no official confirmation from either Hezbollah or the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) about whether Safieddine is alive or dead.
Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said the military is still evaluating the Thursday night strikes, which reportedly targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters.
In a continued escalation, Israel launched airstrikes on the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli for the first time on Saturday, according to a Lebanese security official.
This strike followed attacks on Beirut’s suburbs, while Israeli ground forces carried out raids in southern Lebanon.
Hashem Safieddine, a key Hezbollah leader, has been designated a terrorist by the US due to his involvement in both political and military operations of the group.
As a cousin of Hassan Nasrallah, he is considered the second-in-command and maintains close ties with Iran.
Safieddine also serves on Hezbollah’s Jihad Council and has been entrusted with several influential roles within the organization, including strategic positions in leadership councils.
Apart from his operational duties, Safieddine has frequently acted as a public spokesperson for Hezbollah.
The group suffered a massive blow when many of its senior military leadership, including secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, were killed in an airstrike on September 27 at Hezbollah’s headquarters in central Beirut.
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