Multiple media outlets have reported, citing insider sources, that since Friday (October 4), there has been a loss of contact between Hezbollah and potential successor to its late leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel killed Hezbollah leader Nasrallah in an airstrike on September 27. Following his death, Hashem Safieddine has been widely seen as Nasrallah’s potential successor.
Serving as the head of the executive committee, Safieddine is responsible for overseeing Hezbollah’s political affairs. He is also a member of the Jihad Council, which manages the group’s military operations.
On Thursday (October 3), Israel launched a large-scale attack on the southern outskirts of Beirut. According to Axios, the target of the attack was Safieddine, who was reportedly in an underground bunker.
A Lebanese security source informed Reuters on Saturday (October 5) that Hezbollah has had no contact with Safieddine since Friday.
The Lebanese security source, along with two other security sources, stated that since Friday, ongoing Israeli strikes in southern Beirut have prevented rescue teams from searching the attack site.
Following the attack, Hezbollah has not released any comments regarding Safieddine.
Israeli Colonel Nadav Shoshani stated on Friday that the military is still assessing the airstrike from Thursday night. He mentioned that the target of the airstrike was Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters.
If this rumored successor is indeed killed by Israel, it would be another significant blow to Hezbollah and its backers, Iran.
CNN also learned from Lebanese security sources that Hezbollah has lost contact with Safieddine since Friday.
Safieddine is the cousin of the late Hezbollah leader Nasrallah. In June this year, following the killing of another Hezbollah commander, he threatened to carry out large-scale retaliatory actions against Israel. “He said at the funeral, let them be prepared to cry and wail.”
The United States designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 and listed Safieddine as a terrorist in 2017.
After nearly a year of clashes with Hezbollah, Israel has recently intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and deployed troops for ground operations. The series of fierce attacks by the Israeli military has severely weakened the Hezbollah leadership.
A Lebanese security official mentioned that Israel carried out more airstrikes on Saturday in the outskirts of Beirut, targeting the northern city of Tripoli for the first time.
Israel stated that its goal is to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of Israeli citizens living in border areas who have been under Hezbollah’s bombardment since October 8 last year.