Israeli Airstrikes Reportedly Kill Hezbollah Top Leader Hashem Safieddine

Hashem Safieddine, considered the likely heir apparent to Hezbollah's secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, was reportedly killed along with his companions in an Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut, according to Saudi news outlet Al Hadath on Saturday.

Al Hadath also claimed that Israel confirmed Safieddine's death, though Israel has yet to officially announce it. Israeli media, referencing Lebanese sources, reported that Israel allegedly targeted Safieddine in the Dahieh suburb of Beirut overnight between Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, Israel stated that it had targeted Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in the southern suburbs and was assessing the aftermath of the strikes aimed at the group's senior figures.

US news outlet Axios cited three Israeli officials who said Safieddine had been targeted in an underground bunker in Beirut on Thursday night, though his condition was unclear.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted a photo of Safieddine and Nasrallah on X on Saturday, urging Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to "take your proxies and leave Lebanon."

Israel has reportedly eliminated much of Hezbollah's senior military leadership, including Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on September 27.

In a rare public appearance leading Friday prayers, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed a large crowd in Tehran, saying that Iran and its regional allies would "not back down."

Lebanon's government reported that over 2,000 people have been killed in the country over the past year, most in the last two weeks.

Attacks on medical personnel, facilities, including the Lebanese Red Cross and public hospitals, as well as Hezbollah-affiliated rescue workers, have also escalated.

The Lebanese government further stated that more than 1.2 million people have been displaced, and the UN confirmed that most shelters are full.

Many displaced individuals moved north to Tripoli or to Syria, but an Israeli strike on Friday closed the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria.