New Hezbollah Leader And Senior IRGC Officers Reportedly Eliminated In Israeli Airstrike

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Hashem Safi Al-Din, who is the presumed successor of former Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, was reportedly killed along with other senior officials in an Israeli strike in southern Beirut on Friday, an unnamed official told Sky News Arabia.

Additionally, several high-ranking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps  (IRGC) officers were in the same location when the airstrike hit. One of them is believed to be Ismail Qaani, a Brigadier General in the IRGC and commander of its Quds Force.

A Lebanese security source told Sky News that the chances of anyone surviving the targeted strike were “almost zero.”

The Saudi news organization Al-Hadath had previously reported that Safieddine was dead on Saturday morning. The outlet claimed that Israel had confirmed the elimination, but Israeli media sources have yet to verify the Saudi report.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters that the head of the terrorist group’s Executive Council has been “unreachable” since Israel struck the area on Friday. Additionally, according to three security officials, repeated Israeli strikes have blocked rescuers from searching the site where he was believed to be.

Israelis officials estimated that Safi Al-Din and the senior officers who were with him, were eliminated in the strike, since those who were with him in the underground area which was struck could not have escaped the site alive.

Safi Al-Din, 60, is a cousin of Hassan Nasrallah and last month was appointed his successor. Prior to his appointment, Safieddine served as the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council. He is Nasrallah’s cousin from his mother’s side. His brother, Abdullah, is Hezbollah’s envoy to Iran.