BEIRUT: The potential successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been out of contact since Friday, following an Israeli airstrike that reportedly targeted him, a Lebanese security source said on Saturday.
Hashem Safieddine, the rumored successor to Nasrallah, is believed to have been in an underground bunker during the attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh.
Israeli officials, cited by Axios, confirmed that the Thursday night airstrike targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters, with indications pointing towards Safieddine being the primary target. Despite ongoing bombardments, Lebanese rescue workers have been unable to access the site of the strike due to continued Israeli operations in the area.
Hezbollah has not commented on Safieddine’s status since the airstrike. Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani stated that the military is still assessing the full impact of the strikes, which are part of an intensified campaign against the Lebanese group.
The conflict in Lebanon escalated further on Saturday when Israel launched its first airstrike in the northern city of Tripoli, according to Lebanese security officials. The attack reportedly targeted a Palestinian refugee camp. Palestinian media confirmed the death of a Hamas military leader in the strike.
The intensifying Israeli campaign has expanded beyond the border region, which previously served as the primary site of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Following the killing of Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on September 27, the group’s leadership has faced a wave of attacks that have decimated its senior ranks.
The strikes have left Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold, in ruins. Large parts of the once-bustling area in southern Beirut have been reduced to rubble, forcing many residents to flee. Lebanese officials report that hundreds of civilians, including rescue workers, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli offensive, with 1.2 million Lebanese—nearly a quarter of the population—displaced from their homes.
Meanwhile, northern Israel continues to be bombarded by Hezbollah rockets, triggering air raid sirens and sending residents scrambling for shelter.
