Israel announced this Tuesday that it had eliminated Hassan Nasrallah’s expected successor at the head of Hezbollah, in a strike on Beirut in early October.
The essentials
- The Israeli army announced Tuesday evening that it had eliminated Hachem Safieddine three weeks ago, strongly expected to take over from Hassan Nasrallah at the head of Hezbollah, killed on September 27. “Elimination of the so-called Hashem Safi al-Din, head of the Executive Council of the terrorist Hezbollah,” the Arabic-speaking IDF spokesperson said on X.
- “We had Nasrallah, his replacement and most of the senior leaders of Hezbollah,” General Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israeli army, said in a statement. “We will hit anyone who threatens the security of the citizens of the State of Israel,” the statement added.
- Hezbollah had claimed that contact with Safieddine had been “lost” after the Israeli strikes on October 4. According to a source close to Hezbollah relayed in the columns of France Info, he was “the most likely candidate” to succeed Nasrallah. After several assassinations, his death further jeopardizes the organization of the Islamist group.
- Bombings continue in Lebanon and particularly in the southern suburbs of Beirut. On Tuesday evening, seven Israeli strikes reached the country according to the Lebanese National Information Agency. In this area, a stronghold of Hezbollah, Israeli calls to evacuate the premises are increasing.
Latest updates
09:38 – Israeli air force strikes southern Lebanon
According to information from The Orient-The Daythe Israeli army is concentrating its air raids this morning on “the caza of Jezzine”, where it has already struck five times on the hills of Jabbour and “four times the locality of Hammoudiyé near Aïchiyé”, according to a correspondent media in South Lebanon. “The aviation also carried out several raids on the localities of Khiam and on the banks of the Litani near the village of Blat (caza de Marjeyoun)”, it is specified.
09:00 – Jean-Noël Barrot recalls France’s support for Lebanon
Questioned on RTL this Wednesday morning about the incessant bombings in Lebanon, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot assures that France stands well by Lebanon’s side and that it “will not fail it”. “The objective is first to reaffirm the need for a ceasefire, a diplomatic resolution and an end to hostilities, to mobilize humanitarian aid from as many countries as possible and to support Lebanese institutions, first and foremost the Lebanese armed forces”, specifies the minister.
08:25 – Hezbollah targets Tel Aviv with a series of rockets this Wednesday
After the announcement of the death of Nasrallah’s expected successor as leader of Hezbollah, the Islamist organization announced this Wednesday morning that it had targeted a military intelligence base near Tel Aviv (Israel), while sirens sounded in the area. to allow the populations present to escape. “In response to the enemy’s massacres”, this base was targeted by a series of rockets, a base already targeted by Hezbollah since the start of the war. IDF says two rockets coming from Lebanon were intercepted.
08:17 – Israel announces having killed the intended successor of the leader of Hezbollah
This Tuesday, the Israeli army announced that it had eliminated Hachem Safieddine, the potential successor to Hassem Nasrallah at the head of Hezbollah. He was killed during an Israeli raid in Beirut in early October. “Elimination of the so-called Hashem Safi al-Din, head of the Executive Council of the terrorist Hezbollah,” announced the Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army on the social network X.
“It is now possible to confirm the news that the IDF eliminated, three weeks ago, the so-called Hashem Safi al-Din, head of the Executive Council of Hezbollah (…) The IDF will continue to target Hezbollah leaders and anyone who poses a threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” he continued. In addition, “there were 25 members of Hezbollah’s intelligence staff inside the command headquarters”, targeted by IDF aircraft during the same bombing.
22/10/24 – 22:44 – Potential successor to Hassan Nasrallah at the head of Hezbollah, Hachem Safieddine announced dead by Israel
On Telegram, the Israeli army said this Tuesday evening that “it is now possible to confirm that, during a strike approximately three weeks ago, Hachem Safieddine, head of the executive council of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, and Hussein Ali Al-Zeima, head of Hezbollah’s intelligence office, were eliminated in the southern suburbs of Beirut, along with other Hezbollah commanders. Hezbollah has not yet confirmed the information. After the death of Hezbollah boss Hassan Nasrallah, Hachem Safieddine was expected to take over at the head of the Lebanese movement.
10/22/24 – 9:45 p.m. – White phosphorus munitions used by the Israeli army?
Citing a confidential report prepared under the direction of one of the UNIFIL member states, the Financial Times reports that around fifteen UN peacekeepers may have been poisoned by what appears to be white phosphorus present in munitions used by the IDF, the Israeli army. On October 13, several shells were fired near a UNIFIL base. They subsequently emitted “supposed phosphorous smoke” which spread over the said base, injuring 15 peacekeepers. While the UN has banned the offensive use of white phosphorus and classified its use as a war crime since 1983, Israel defended itself by ensuring that its soldiers only used smoke bombs intended to cover their withdrawal while they were trying to escape heavy fire. White phosphorus is often used as a smoke bomb.
42,718. This is the number of deaths in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas terrorist offensive on October 7, 2023 in Israel. A figure communicated by the Ministry of Health of the Hamas government on Monday October 14, 2024 and which reveals the intensity of the fighting which has lasted for more than a year now. Over the months, tensions intensified, and as of October 27, 2023, Israel extended its ground operation to Gaza. The objective for Netanyahu and the IDF is clear: to “annihilate” Hamas. A one-week ceasefire nevertheless took place in November 2023. After a significant leap forward, on April 13, 2024, Iran launched its first massive attack on Israel. Hamas ally, Iran then fired nearly 350 explosive drones and missiles at the Jewish state. An attack in response to missiles fired at the embassy in Damascus, Syria on April 1, in which 11 people lost their lives, including seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Tuesday September 17, 2024, a new kind of attack broke into the war. Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies explode. Twelve deaths and nearly 3,000 injured have been recorded in Lebanon. Since its coordinated explosions, Israel has continued to strike Lebanon with air or ground raids. More than 1,000 people are killed in IDF strikes and thousands of Lebanese are forced to be displaced. On October 1, 2024, Iran responded by sending nearly 200 ballistic missiles directly to Israel. Since then, the two countries have been waging a merciless war. On October 8, 2024, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, threatened Lebanon with “destruction and suffering like those we see in Gaza” if the population of the country does not ” “liberated” not from Hezbollah. Comments described as “provocation” by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot.
Monday October 14, 2024, Lebanese Hezbollah threatened Israel with new attacks in a press release. As a reminder, Hezbollah had struck Haifa two days earlier, killing four Israeli soldiers and injuring no less than 60. At the start of the week, the terrorist organization indicated that “the resistance (…) promises the enemy”. The raid carried out “south of Haifa is only a foretaste of what awaits him if he decides to continue his attacks against our people”, she threatens. According to Palestinian doctors cited by Associated Press, the courtyard of a hospital in the Gaza Strip was then bombed by the Israeli army, killing at least four people and causing a fire in a camp for displaced people.