Israeli media claims senior Hezbollah leader injured in airstrike

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli media reported Friday that senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine may have been injured in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburb on Thursday.

The nighttime attack has raised questions about its intended target, with speculation swirling that Safieddine, a key figure in Hezbollah, could be considered a successor to the group's recently slain leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Israel believes Safieddine was injured in Thursday's strike, but details about his condition remain unknown. The report also claimed that top Hezbollah intelligence commanders were present with Safieddine at the underground site targeted by the airstrike.

The Israeli military has declined to comment on the presence of Hezbollah officials during the attack or to confirm whether Safieddine was the intended target. Hezbollah has also refrained from addressing the specifics of the strike.

The incident follows the death of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli attack just a week ago.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border hostilities since Israel launched its war on Gaza on Oct. 7 last year, a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of over 41,800 people, most of them women and children.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least 2,011 people, injured more than 9,500, and displaced 1.2 million, according to Lebanese authorities.

The international community has expressed concern that Israel's ongoing attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a broader regional war.