Israel says it has killed the senior Hezbollah official widely expected to become the militant group’s next leader.
Israel’s army said it had “eliminated” Hashem Safieddine, the apparent successor of Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in a strike in a southern Beirut suburb three weeks ago.
It said in a statement on Tuesday night: “It can now be confirmed that in an attack approximately three weeks ago, Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s executive council, and Ali Hussein Hazima, the head of Hezbollah’s Intelligence Directorate, were killed along with other Hezbollah commanders.”
There was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah.
• Who is Hashem Safieddine, Hezbollah’s potential next leader?
It is thought Safieddine was killed in early October in a strike that also killed 25 other