Hezbollah's successor, Hashem Safieddine, goes 'unreachable' after Israeli strikes in Lebanon

There are concerns over the possible loss of Hashem Safieddine, who is seen as a potential successor to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. According to a Lebanese security source, Safieddine has been missing since Friday following an Israeli airstrike that is believed to have targeted him. Israel launched a major strike late on Thursday on Beirut's southern suburbs, an area known as a Hezbollah stronghold, aiming for an underground bunker where Safieddine was reportedly located. Rescue workers have been unable to search the attack site due to continued Israeli airstrikes in the area, which have been ongoing since Friday.

Israeli officials have not yet commented on Safieddine's status, but it is confirmed that Thursday's airstrike targeted Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters. Losing Safieddine, Nasrallah's rumored successor, would be a significant blow to Hezbollah, further weakening the group amid Israel’s intensified campaign against it and its Iranian backers. Hezbollah has not yet commented on Safieddine's status following the attacks.

In recent weeks, Israel has escalated its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, expanding the conflict to new areas. On Saturday, Israeli forces targeted Tripoli in northern Lebanon for the first time. Bombs also hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, and Israeli troops conducted raids in southern Lebanon. Since last year, Israel has been engaged in clashes with Hezbollah, which had previously been contained to the Israel-Lebanon border, running alongside Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

Israel says its goal is to make the northern part of the country safe for citizens who have been under constant rocket attacks from Hezbollah since October 2023. The strikes have claimed many lives, including senior Hezbollah leaders, with Nasrallah himself killed in an airstrike on September 27.

The Israeli attacks have not only killed military leaders but have also caused widespread devastation, killing hundreds of Lebanese civilians and forcing 1.2 million people—about a quarter of Lebanon’s population—to flee their homes. A Palestinian refugee camp in Tripoli was also targeted, killing a Hamas leader, his wife, and their two children. As Israeli airstrikes continue to pound areas like Dahiyeh, a previously vibrant part of Beirut, large parts of the city have been reduced to rubble, leaving residents fleeing to safer regions. In northern Israel, civilians continue to seek shelter from ongoing rocket attacks from Lebanon.

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