The Israeli military said today that Safieddine was killed in a strike carried out three weeks ago in Beirut’s southern suburbs, its first confirmation of his death. Israel earlier this month said he had probably been eliminated.
Israel on Tuesday confirmed that it had killed Hashem Safieddine, the heir apparent to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was previously killed in an Israeli attack last month on the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.
The military said Safieddine was killed in a strike carried out three weeks ago in Beirut’s southern suburbs, its first confirmation of his death.
Earlier this month, Israel said he had probably been eliminated.
There was no immediate response from Hezbollah to Israel’s statement that it had killed Safieddine.
Israel has stepped up an offensive after a year of border clashes with Hezbollah, which is reeling from a spate of killings of its senior commanders in Israeli airstrikes.
The group is the most formidably armed of Iran’s proxy forces across the Middle East and has been acting in support of Palestinian militants fighting Israel in Gaza.
Safieddine, Nasrallah’s cousin, was inducted into Hezbollah’s Jihad Council, the organization in charge of its military activities, and its executive council, which manages its financial and administrative affairs.
Safieddine emerged as the most prominent figure to speak for Hezbollah during the final year of fighting with Israel, attending funerals and other functions that Nasrallah had long been unable to participate in because of security concerns.
