The Israeli army confirmed on Wednesday the killing of Hashem Safieddine, the suspected successor to Hezbollah chief .
“It can now be confirmed that an attack about three weeks ago killed Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, and Ali Hussein Hazima, the head of Hezbollah’s Intelligence Directorate, along with other Hezbollah commanders,” he said. the army. a statement.
Hezbollah has not yet issued a statement on the claim.
On October 8, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had “eliminated” Safieddine without naming him specifically.
Who was Hashem Safieddine, the apparent heir of Hezbollah?
The deeply religious Safieddine, a cleric with family ties to Nasrallah and good relations with his backer Iran, was the “most likely” candidate for the party’s top job.
Safieddine, with a gray beard and glasses, looked strikingly like his distant cousin Nasrallah, but was several years younger than him, in his late fifties or early sixties.
Safieddine, a member of the group’s ruling Shura Council, had strong ties to the Islamic republic after pursuing religious studies in Iran’s holy city of Qom.
His son married the daughter of General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Foreign Operations Department, who was killed in a US attack in Iraq in 2020.
The United States and Saudi Arabia had put him on their respective ‘terrorist’ lists in 2017.
Unlike Nasrallah, who lived in hiding for years, Safieddine continued to appear openly at recent political and religious events.
He abandoned his usual calm demeanor and often burst into fiery rhetoric at the funerals of Hezbollah fighters killed in nearly a year of cross-border clashes with Israel.
In July, Safieddine hinted at how Hezbollah views its leadership succession in a speech in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
“In our resistance, when one leader is martyred, another picks up the flag and carries on with new, sure, strong determination.”
Children killed in strike in Beirut
The Israeli announcement about Safieddine comes as at least 18 people, including four children, were killed in an Israeli attack near Beirut’s main government hospital, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
“I am shocked,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement, stressing that “the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law regarding the protection of civilians must be respected.”
At least 18 people, including four children, were killed in an Israeli attack near the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. Source: EPA / Wael Hamzeh
Türk stressed that “when conducting military operations, all feasible precautions must be taken to prevent and at least minimize incidental loss of civilian lives, injuries to civilians and damage to civilian objects.”
“Hospitals, ambulances and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law because of their life-saving function for the injured and sick,” he said.
“I reiterate the UN call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and remind all parties that the protection of civilians must be the absolute top priority.”
The Israeli military said its jets hit a Hezbollah target near Rafik Hariri University Hospital, but denied targeting the hospital.
However, Jihad Saadeh, director of the hospital, said that as a result of the Israeli attack, nearby debris, probably from heavy ammunition, had caused damage to the medical facility.
Although there were no casualties among staff, Saadeh said efforts to rescue people outside the hospital were ongoing.
The Israeli military said its jets hit a Hezbollah target near Rafik Hariri University Hospital, but denied targeting the hospital. Source: EPA / Wael Hamzeh
Is a ceasefire possible?
Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement said on Tuesday that there would be no negotiations as long as fighting with Israel continued, claiming sole responsibility for a
The group “takes full and sole responsibility” for attacking Netanyahu’s home, Mohammad Afif, head of the Iranian-backed militant group’s media office, told a news conference in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Israel said a drone was launched at Netanyahu’s holiday home on Saturday. Netanyahu was not there at the time, but he described it as an assassination attempt by “Iran’s proxy Hezbollah” and called it a “serious mistake.”
“And we confirm our position, no negotiations under fire. What is not under fire is not given by politics,” Afif said.
This diplomatic shift follows Hezbollah’s calls for a ceasefire earlier in October and reports from the Lebanese government that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a temporary ceasefire before Israel assassinated him on September 27.
At least 2,546 people have been killed and 11,862 injured since October 7, 2023, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Hezbollah also acknowledged for the first time that Israel has taken some of its fighters hostage since it launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, saying Israel is responsible for their well-being.
Hezbollah had not captured any Israeli soldiers, but had come close, Afif said.
He also denied that the group’s Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association was involved in financing Hezbollah salaries or weapons and would fully honor its obligations to clients even after Israel attacked this Sunday with some 30 attacks.
Israel and the United States say Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which has more than 30 branches across Lebanon, is being used by Hezbollah for money laundering and terrorist financing, which the group denies.
DEKYAS NEWS World Breaking News and Trusted Source
