Israel reportedly targeted Hashem Safieddine, the presumed successor to Hezbollah’s late leader Hassan Nasrallah, in a significant airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs late Thursday night. This comes just under a week after Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Reports from Axios and The New York Times identified Safieddine as the target, with Israeli officials stating he was attending a meeting in an underground bunker with other senior Hezbollah figures. It remains unclear whether Safieddine was harmed in the strike, and there has been no immediate comment from Hezbollah or the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
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Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, heads Hezbollah’s executive council and oversees its political activities while also serving on its Jihad Council, which handles military operations. His family ties, physical resemblance to Nasrallah, and clerical status as a descendant of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed make him a strong candidate to succeed Nasrallah.
The strike occurred as Israel launched renewed air raids in Hezbollah-controlled Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel has been ramping up its attacks on Hezbollah’s infrastructure in recent weeks following the October 7 Hamas attack that ignited the ongoing war.