New Delhi: Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, widely viewed as the likely successor to Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut at midnight on Thursday.
However, Safieddine’s killing has not been confirmed either by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) or Hezbollah in Lebanon. The number of casualties is not known yet.
According to news reports, a barrage of airstrikes hit Safieddine’s underground bunker, where he was believed to be attending a meeting of senior Hezbollah officials.
Reports suggest that the strike was larger and more deadly than the one that killed Nasrallah.
Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, has been an important Hezbollah functionary who was deeply involved in the organisation’s political affairs. He was also a member of the Jihad Council, the body responsible for the organisation’s military operations. Safieddine kept strong ties with the Iranian regime and was considered the second-in-command in the organisation.
Meanwhile, Israel has taken responsibility for the killing of Mohammed Anisi, a high-ranking Hezbollah official reportedly involved in the group’s precision-guided missile program. Anisi was targeted in a separate Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah’s intelligence branch in Beirut. Hezbollah has yet to issue a response to either strike.
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