Israeli Airstrikes Target Hezbollah Leader Hashem Safieddine in Beirut

Israeli warplanes conducted a series of airstrikes in Beirut on Wednesday night, targeting Hashem Safieddine, a senior Hezbollah leader and the cousin of the recently assassinated Hezbollah secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah.

Israeli officials confirmed the strike, stating that Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah's executive committee and a potential successor to Nasrallah, was the intended target. The outcome of the strike remains uncertain.

The airstrike occurred in a southern suburb of Beirut, known for hosting several Hezbollah compounds. Lebanese press reports indicate that the scale of the bombardment was significantly larger compared to the attack last week that resulted in the death of Nasrallah. Casualty numbers from this latest strike are still unknown.

An Israeli official indicated that Safieddine was believed to be in a deep underground bunker during the strike, and it is not yet clear whether he survived. The operation marks the latest in a series of targeted efforts by Israel to systematically eliminate Hezbollah’s leadership, coming shortly after their recent invasion of southern Lebanon.

A few hours ago, Israel said Hezbollah fired 230 rockets from Lebanon towards Israel during the last 23 hours. “That’s on average, one rocket every 6 minutes.”

Hashem Safieddine, born in the early 1960s in southern Lebanon, is one of the founding members of Hezbollah. He rose through the ranks alongside Nasrallah, holding key political, military, and cultural roles within the Shiite Muslim group since the 1980s. In 1998, he was elected as the head of Hezbollah's executive council. Safieddine has maintained strong ties with Iran, studying in Qom and establishing connections with Tehran’s leadership. In May 2017, the U.S. State Department designated Safieddine as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

Hezbollah has not yet commented on the reported airstrikes or the condition of Safieddine.

Hezbollah is rapidly replacing its deceased members. Former IRGC Quds Force commander Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi confirmed that all commanders killed in Israeli attacks have been fully replaced, emphasizing that Hezbollah has sufficient human resources to fill these vacant roles. “Hezbollah will emerge stronger,” Vahidi said.

Hezbollah’s Weapons Expert, Hamas Militant Eliminated: IDF

While the fate of Safieddine remains unconfirmed, the IDF said it has eliminated Mahmoud Yusef Anisi, a senior terrorist involved in Hezbollah’s precision-guided missile manufacturing chain in Lebanon. Anisi joined Hezbollah over 15 years ago and was one of the leaders of the Hezbollah PGM campaign in Lebanon. He was a significant source of knowledge with many technological abilities in the field of weapons manufacturing. The IDF will continue operating against the threat of Hezbollah.

In addition, Israel eliminated Aziz Salha, who took part in the Ramallah lynching in Oct. 2000, in the area of Deir El Balah in central Gaza. Salha took part in the brutal lynching of Sergeant First Class (Res.) Yosef Avrahami and Corporal (Res.) Vadim Norzhich in Ramallah in 2000. Salha was photographed with blood on his hands waving from a window following the lynching. Salha was involved in activity in Judea and Samaria and remained involved in Hamas activities.

Yesterday, the IDF reported eliminating three Hamas militants in Gaza: Rawhi Mushtaha, Sameh al-Siraj, and Sami Oudeh. They were killed approximately three months ago in a joint IDF and ISA strike. IAF fighter jets targeted them while they were hiding in a fortified underground compound in northern Gaza, which served as a command-and-control center for Hamas.