Ever since Israel carried out a strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs targeting Hashem Safieddine, the possible successor to late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, the group has lost contact with him, reports claimed on Saturday.
Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s executive council, was seen as the most likely heir of Nasrallah who had been killed in an Israeli air strike on September 27.
On Thursday, Israel carried out large-scale attack targeting Safieddine in an underground bunker near the Lebanon capital city. Though there were reports that Safieddine might have been killed in the attack, neither Israel nor Hezbollah has confirmed his death.
However, a Lebanese security source told Reuters that Safieddine has been out of contact since Friday. If he was killed, it would be another major blow to Hezbollah with Israel claiming that the IDF has eliminated nearly 400 operatives of the militant group since it launched its ground operations in Lebanon.
READ: Did Israel kill Nasrallah's likely heir Safieddine? IDF strikes Hezbollah's bunker near Beirut
Who is Safieddine?
Safieddine is currently the head of Hezbollah’s executive council and is romoured to be the most likely successor of Nasrallah. He is also the maternal cousin of the slain leader.
Born in 1964 in Lebanon's Tyre, Safieddine completed his studies along with Nasrallah in Najaf and Qom in Iran.
The United States, which designated Hezbollah a foreign terrorist organisation in 1997, designated Safieddine a foreign terrorist in 2017.
Israel widens attack in Lebanon
Israel has expanded its military campaign in Lebanon on Saturday by striking for the first time the northern city of Tripoli. The IDF launched its ground operation in Lebanon last week, with direct fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah operatives being reported from several places.
The IDF on Saturday claimed to have eliminated over 400 Hezbollah operatives, including many of its top leaders, ever since it launched the ground offensive.
READ: Top Hezbollah commanders killed in Israeli strikes so far
The IDF said it carried out an overnight strike on a command center embedded in a mosque in southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil, where the Hezbollah operatives were planning terror acts against Israel.
Lebanese officials said the Israeli assault has killed hundreds of ordinary people and forced 1.2 million people—almost a quarter of the population—to flee their homes.
