Hashem Safieddine, successor to Hassan Nasrallah, likely target in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut

Hashem Safieddine was designated a terrorist by the US State Department in 2017. (Image creadit: News18)

Israel’s military said, on October 3, that it had struck Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut, as reports surfaced that senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine was targeted during airstrikes in the Dahieh suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold.

According to a report by Reuters, Safieddine, widely considered the successor to slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was reportedly among the leaders present at a meeting when the strikes occurred. Barak Ravid, a reporter for Axios, posted on social media platform X, citing Israeli sources, that Safieddine had been targeted. However, Reuters said that it was unable to independently verify this information, and no official statements from Israel, Hezbollah, or Lebanon have been released regarding his status.

Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s executive council and a key figure overseeing the group’s military operations, has long been regarded as a likely heir to Nasrallah. He was designated a terrorist by the US State Department in 2017.

The airstrikes come amid escalating tensions, with Israeli troops conducting “ground raids” into southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold, following days of intensified bombing across the country. On October 3, Israel launched 11 consecutive strikes on southern Beirut, marking one of the most intense bombardments since the conflict escalated last week. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), the strikes reverberated as far as mountain regions outside the capital.

Israel's military campaign has increasingly focused on Hezbollah targets, as clashes between the two sides have intensified in recent weeks. This latest strike on Safieddine underscores Israel’s efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s leadership and infrastructure as the conflict deepens.

(This is a developing story, more developments to follow)