In what could be a significant blow to Hezbollah, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that Hashem Safieddine, widely expected to succeed slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, has been "eliminated," CBC reports.
Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah and top Hezbollah official, has not been heard from publicly since an Israeli airstrike late last week. "We eliminated Nasrallah himself, Nasrallah's successor, and the successor of Nasrallah's successor," Netanyahu said in a press release video.
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told officers at the Israeli military's northern command center, "Hezbollah is an organization without a head. Nasrallah was eliminated; his replacement was probably also eliminated."
🇮🇱🇱🇧🚨
IDF has eliminated Sayed Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Hassan Nasrallah and the new leader of Hezbollah's Executive Council.
He was reportedly the target of tonight's Israeli Airstrikes on the Dahieh Suburb of Southern Beirut, eliminated using bunker buster bombs. pic.twitter.com/f6GbMDf6Nr
— Menachem Begin 🇮🇱 ✡️ 🎗️ (@lalish1415) October 3, 2024
The Israeli military claims to have killed another senior Hezbollah commander, Suhail Husseini, in a strike on Beirut. Husseini was reportedly responsible for overseeing the group's logistics, budget, and management. Hezbollah has not yet commented on either claim.
In a televised speech, Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem stated that the group supports efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon. Notably, Qassem omitted any mention of a Gaza truce deal as a precondition to halting attacks on Israel, a departure from previous statements. "We support the political activity being led by Berri under the title of a ceasefire," Qassem said, referring to attempts by Lebanese Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, to secure a halt.
Israel's military announced it had begun ground operations in southwest Lebanon, expanding its incursions to a new zone a year after exchanges of fire began with Hezbollah.
Iran warned Israel on Tuesday against any attacks on the Islamic Republic, a week after Tehran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that any attack on Iran's infrastructure would be met with retaliation.
UN officials stated that their repeated appeals for restraint had "gone unheeded" in the year since the exchanges of fire began between Hezbollah and Israel. "Today, one year later, the near-daily exchanges of fire have escalated into a relentless military campaign whose humanitarian impact is nothing short of catastrophic," they said in a joint statement.
