Israeli forces have reportedly eliminated Hashem Safieddine, the terrorist deemed the presumed successor to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated recently in an Israeli airstrike.
According to Lebanese security sources quoted by Reuters, Safieddine — Nasrallah’s cousin — has been “unreachable” since a similar Israeli airstrike late Thursday night in Beirut.
There has, however, been no confirmation of Safieddine’s death, and Hezbollah has made no comment since the attack.
The terrorist designated as the candidate to replace Safieddine, Ebrahim Amin al-Sayed, has allegedly declined the post. Lebanese sources claimed Al-Sayed said he is not interested in the position and instead intends to leave the country to engage in religious studies in Tehran.
On Thursday, IAF fighter jets guided by IDF intelligence struck targets belonging to Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters in Beirut, including terror operatives belonging to the unit, intelligence-gathering means, command centers, and additional terrorist infrastructure.
The Intelligence Corps is Hezbollah’s primary intelligence body and is responsible for aggregating intelligence about the IDF and the State of Israel. Its headquarters directs Hezbollah intelligence activity and coordinates strategic intelligence-gathering capabilities.
The IDF has struck more than a dozen terrorist targets in the Lebanese capital this week.
“Under the guidance of IDF intelligence, the IAF precisely struck several weapons production sites, weapons storage facilities, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites in the area of Beirut,” the IDF said.
“Additionally, the IAF struck Hezbollah intelligence targets in Beirut, including Hezbollah intelligence operatives, intelligence collection means, command centers, and additional infrastructure.”
“The Hezbollah terrorist organization has deliberately embedded its weapons production facilities and weaponry beneath residential buildings in the heart of the city of Beirut, endangering the population in the area,” the Israeli military said.
Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including using precise munitions and leveraging aerial surveillance, the IDF added.
Between Monday and Thursday, 250 Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated by Israeli forces in “limited, localized, targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence in southern Lebanon.”
Among the dead were 20 Hezbollah commanders, including five battalion commanders, 10 company commanders and six platoon commanders.
The troops of the 98th Division were the first to begin the targeted raids earlier this week, followed by troops of the 36th Division.
The forces are conducting brigade-level operations, combining aerial activity with tank and artillery support. As part of the activities, IDF forces are eliminating terrorists entrenched in buildings and positions near the border. The forces are also locating and destroying weapon warehouses, ready-to-launch rocket launchers, and abandoned Hezbollah explosives.
The Israeli Air Force are supporting the troops, including with preemptive strikes on military targets, as part of the raids aimed at neutralizing threats in the area.
“So far, approximately 250 terrorists have been eliminated from the air and ground, and over 2,000 military targets have been struck, including terrorists, terrorist infrastructure, military buildings, weapon warehouses, launchers, and more,” the IDF said.
