Six days after the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his designated successor have Israel Defense Forces Nasrallah’s next successor in Beirut eliminated: Hashem Safieddine is dead.
This was announced by the Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant known. However, he did not mention the head of the Hezbollah Executive Council by name.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address released Tuesday evening that Israel had eliminated “thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself and Nasrallah’s successor and his successor’s successor.” He also did not mention Safieddine’s name.
Hashem Safieddine not mentioned by name
There is no longer anyone in the Lebanese Shiite militia who makes decisions, Gallant continued. Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities have also suffered serious setbacks. When the smoke clears in Lebanon, Iran will realize that it has lost its greatest asset, said Gallant, referring to the pro-Iranian militia.
The news channel Al-Jazeera reported a few days ago that Hezbollah had lost contact with Safieddine. Hezbollah dismissed the reports as false. It initially remained unclear whether Gallant was actually talking about Safieddine.
The building where Safieddine died was reportedly in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahiyeh.
“Israel has attacked the southern suburbs 11 times in a row,” a source close to Hezbollah said on condition of anonymity.
Son-in-law of Soleimani
The Cousin Nasrallahs and son-in-law of the Iranian general killed in 2020 Qassem Soleimani was chairman of Hezbollah’s Executive Council and responsible for the terrorist organization’s political affairs.
Safieddine, who was designated a terrorist by the US State Department in 2017, wore a black turban meant to identify him as a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. Safieddine’s family ties and his physical resemblance to Nasrallah, as well as his religious status, had favored him as the successor to the slain terrorist.
250 Hezbollah fighters killed
In total, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claims to have killed 250 Hezbollah fighters, including 21 commanders, since ground operations began in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
According to the IDF, the dead include five Hezbollah battalion commanders, ten company commanders and six platoon commanders.
The IDF added that more than 2,000 military targets were attacked, including Hezbollah military buildings, warehouses and launch pads.
There has been no immediate reaction from Hezbollah.