Israel is not resting peacefully even after killing the dangerous Hezbollah commander Nasrallah. News agency Reuters, quoting sources, has said that Hezbollah’s top commander Hashem Safideen was targeted in the latest Israeli attack in Beirut. After Nasrallah’s death, it is being said that Hashem is going to take command of Hezbollah. However, there has been no official statement on the matter yet from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) or Hezbollah.
According to the New York Times, Israel launched several consecutive airstrikes on Beirut at midnight on Thursday. It is likely that Saffiedine was attending a meeting with senior Hezbollah officials in an underground bunker at the time. It was the heaviest bombardment by Israel in the region since Nasrallah was killed. According to news outlet Axios, the Israeli strike was much larger than the one that killed Nasrallah. It is not yet known how many people have lost their lives in this.
Let us tell you that in 2017, Hashem Safideen was declared a terrorist by the United States. He plays an important role in Hezbollah’s political affairs. He is also a member of the group’s Jihad Council. Nasrallah’s cousin Saffiedine was generally considered Hezbollah’s ‘number two’ and also has close ties to the Iranian regime.
Nasrallah appointed Saffiedine to several influential positions in Hezbollah’s councils. Safideen has also been the spokesperson of the group on several occasions. The US State Department in 2017 and Saudi Arabia also declared him a terrorist.
Israel also claimed to have killed another Hezbollah official, Mohammed Anisi, in a recent airstrike targeting Hezbollah’s intelligence wing in Beirut.
