The Israeli army announced Tuesday evening that it had “eliminated” the potential successor to Hassan Nasrallah about three weeks ago. Hezbollah has not confirmed his death.
He was expected to replace his cousin Hassan Nasrallah at the head of Hezbollah. Hachem Safieddine, 64, head of the executive council of the pro-Iranian movement, was killed in an Israeli strike three weeks ago.
On the night of October 3 to 4, several strikes shook the south of Beirut, where Hezbollah’s stronghold is located.
While some media claimed that the raids targeted an underground bunker where leaders of the movement, including Safieddine, were to meet, one of its officials told the FP that contact with Safieddine had been lost.
“Hachem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, and Ali Hussein Hazima, commander of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters, were eliminated in a strike on Hezbollah’s main intelligence headquarters in Dahieh approximately three years ago weeks”the army said in a statement.
His death is a blow for Hezbollah, which still has no leader since the death of Hasan Nasrallah on September 27 in Beirut.
Blinken’s eleventh visit
Hezbollah has not confirmed Safieddine’s death, but the announcement comes as Antony Blinken makes his eleventh tour in the region, since October 2023.
The head of American diplomacy said Tuesday in Jerusalem that the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was an “important opportunity” to end the war in the Gaza Strip and avoid a regional escalation.
A message which does not seem to have influenced Israel. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he was counting on support from Washington once his country attacks Iran.
Before going to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Antony Blinken also considered that humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip was insufficient.
In the Palestinian enclave, “the smell of death is everywhere” wrote the director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
In the last two weeks, the Israeli army has killed more than 400 people, according to Hamas, in the north of the Gaza Strip, which has been besieged for several days.
While nothing seems to stop this war, on the Israeli side too the population is growing impatient. Several Israeli businessmen are each offering a reward of $100,000 to “anyone from Gaza” will deliver a live hostage.
Former Sodastream CEO Daniel Birnbaum claims to have received around a hundred calls on social network X after his announcement
