Israel Claims To Have Killed Next Hezbollah Chief Hashem Safieddine In Fresh Air Strike

Israel is continuing to target Hezbollah leadership days after eliminating the militant group's chief Hassan Nasrallah. Israel has now claimed to have killed Hashem Safieddine, the next probable chief of Hezbollah. This comes as Lebanon prepares to cremate Hassan Nasrallah in a secret ceremony. Israel's latest strike on Beirut has sent shockwaves across Lebanon, Iran and Hezbollah cadres. However, there is no confirmation from Hezbollah or Lebanon about Safieddine's death. A Reuters report quoting some locals said that Safieddine survived the Israeli attack. 

Hashem Safieddine was head of the Hezbollah's executive council and was responsible for group's political affairs. He was also a member of the Jihad Council, which manages the group's military operations.

Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah and like him a cleric distinguished by the black turban symbolizing descent from Islam's Prophet Mohammed, was designated a terrorist by the US State Department in 2017. In June, following the killing of a fellow Hezbollah commander, he warned of a significant escalation against Israel.

"Let (the enemy) prepare himself to cry and wail," he said at the funeral. Safieddine's public statements often reflect Hezbollah's militant stance and its alignment with the Palestinian cause.

Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also announced that Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, head of the Hamas network in Tulkarm in the West Bank, was killed. The IDF said in a statement that Oufi planned and led the attempted car-bombing attack in Ateret on September 2. As part of his role, he supplied weaponry to a large number of Hamas militants in the area, planning and leading a significant amount of additional attacks directed toward communities in the West Bank and places in Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.