The U.S. has called for an end to hostilities in Gaza following the reported killing Hashem Safieddine, possible heir of late Hezbollah leader Hasran Nasrallah and the rising violence in neighboring Lebanon. Tensions escalated further after Israeli airstrikes killed Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, targeting strategic sites associated with the group. In the same attack, Israeli forces destroyed Al-Mayadeen’s office, a key pro-Hezbollah news outlet.
Al-Mayadeen reported Israeli aggression in one of its office in Beirut. The broadcaster also said it had evacuated the office before the strike. Three reporters separately told Reuters about an Israeli strike on a multi-storey building which also hit the office.
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The situation has deteriorated rapidly, with Lebanese authorities confirming 28 fatalities within 24 hours due to ongoing military strikes. Death toll since October last year rose to 2,574, with at least 12,000 injured.
Amid this, Israel claimed that Hashem Safieddine, a high-ranking commander thought to be Nasrallah’s successor, was also killed in the strikes. Hezbollah confirmed the same on Wednesday. Nasrallah, a prominent figure in Hezbollah since the 1990s, was known for leading the group through multiple conflicts with Israel. His death marks a significant blow to Hezbollah, raising fears of an intensified conflict along Israel’s northern border.
Hashem Safieddine was a relative Nasrallah, was running the group with its deputy secretary general Naim Qassem since Nasrallah’s assassination by an Israeli strike in September.
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(Input from the agencies)
