Hashem Safieddine, a senior Hezbollah leader once presumed heir of assassinated cleric Hassan Nasrallah, was the target of an Israeli strike in Lebanon, Israeli and American media reported on Thursday.
Safieddine was in a Beirut bunker hit by Israeli aircraft on Wednesday, Axios reported citing unnamed Israeli officials. The New York Times also cited Israeli officials without naming them in its account of the attack while Israeli media cited Lebanese officials. None of the reports made clear whether Safieddine had been killed.
Newsweek contacted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.
Israel has recently decimated the leadership of Hezbollah, an Iranian backed Lebanese group that was once the most powerful force in the Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance” that stretches from Syria to the Persian Gulf.
A week ago, Israel killed Nasrallah in a devastating blow to Iran, depriving the proxy network of its most famous and charismatic leader.
The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon earlier this week, while Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel.
ANWAR AMRO/AFP