An Israeli strike in Beirut targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, who is widely seen as the successor to slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at the head of the Iran-backed terror group, Reuters reported, citing sources.
However, there has been no official statement from either the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hashem Safieddin, designated a terrorist by the United States in 2017, plays an important role in Hezbollah’s political affairs and is a member of the group’s Jihad Council, which manages its military operations. Nasrallah’s cousin, Safieddin, was generally considered Hezbollah’s “number two” and also has close ties to the Iranian regime.
Nasrallah had appointed Saffieddin to various influential positions in Hezbollah’s councils, some of them more discreet. Safiedin has also been the group’s spokesperson on numerous occasions.
He was designated a terrorist by the US State Department in 2017 and also by Saudi Arabia.
A series of massive explosions rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday, killing several people and shaking buildings for miles around the Lebanese capital, as Israel stepped up its offensive against Hezbollah.
