October 23, 2024 – World News
Jerusalem: Israel’s military said on Tuesday that Hashem Safieddine, one of the top Hezbollah leaders and perhaps the most probable successor to the group’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an airstrike conducted three weeks ago in southern Beirut.
The Israeli army described the attack as targeting top leaders of Hezbollah: Safieddine, the organization’s head of the Executive Council, and Ali Hussein Hazima, Hezbollah’s head of the Intelligence Directorate. Other higher-ranking Hezbollah commanders were also reported to have been killed. The attack took place in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut.
This confirmation came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at the death of Safieddine on October 8. Not mentioning him by name, Netanyahu confirmed Israeli forces killed “thousands of terrorists” when he referred specifically to the deaths of Nasrallah and others who might succeed him.
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The attack was pinpoint, intelligence-driven, and targeted Hezbollah’s main intelligence hub. At the time, over 25 Hezbollah militants were in the area, among them Bilal Saib Aish, who oversees the group’s aerial intelligence operations.
Hezbollah has since remained silent on the issue of Safieddine’s death, but confidential sources close to the group had earlier confirmed that Safieddine, who is considered one of the highly spiritual men with excellent links with Iran, had fallen silent after the strikes in Beirut. Being a cousin to Nasrallah, Safieddine was deemed as one of the most potential successors to his post.
Israeli military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said that Israel has indeed focused on targeting the leadership of Hezbollah, including Nasrallah who would succeed him, as well as most of the top leaders in the group.
This is one severe blow Hezbollah’s leadership faces since Israel continues its military operations targeting the command structure of the group.
Minutes by M31GlobalNews
