Tensions in the Middle East have intensified following Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s leadership, including the potential successor to the slain leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Hashem Safieddine has reportedly been unreachable since Friday, raising concerns after an Israeli strike on his underground bunker in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday night.
According to a Lebanese security source, ongoing Israeli strikes in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold, have hindered rescue operations, preventing workers from accessing the site of the attack.
The Israeli military has not received confirmation regarding Safieddine’s status, and Hezbollah has yet to comment on the situation.
Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani noted that the military is still assessing the airstrikes, which were aimed at Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters. The potential loss of Nasrallah’s rumoured successor would be a significant blow to both Hezbollah and its Iranian backers, mainly as Israeli strikes have increasingly targeted the group’s senior leadership.
On Saturday, Israel expanded its military operations by conducting airstrikes in the northern city of Tripoli. This follows multiple bombings in Beirut’s southern suburbs and ground incursions by Israeli troops south of Lebanon. The recent surge in military activity marks a notable escalation, moving beyond the previously limited exchanges of fire along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Israeli officials assert that the military’s objective is to ensure the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to northern Israel, which has faced heavy bombardment from Hezbollah since October 8, 2023.
The recent Israeli attacks have reportedly decimated Hezbollah’s senior military leadership, including Secretary General Nasrallah, who was targeted in a separate airstrike on September 27. The ongoing assault has resulted in significant civilian casualties, with hundreds of ordinary Lebanese reported killed, including rescue workers.
Additionally, the conflict has displaced around 1.2 million people, representing nearly a quarter of Lebanon’s population.
In a tragic development, an airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp in Tripoli on Saturday resulted in the deaths of a Hamas member, his wife, and their two children. Media sources linked to Hamas confirmed that the strike also killed a leader of its armed wing. The Israeli military has yet to comment on the Tripoli airstrike, which targeted a city previously bombed during the 2006 war with Hezbollah.
Nightly bombardments in Dahiyeh have reduced large portions of the area to rubble, forcing residents to flee to other parts of Beirut or elsewhere in Lebanon.
In northern Israel, air raid sirens have prompted residents to seek shelter amid ongoing rocket fire from Lebanon.
This escalation coincides with the approaching anniversary of Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and around 250 hostages taken, according to Israeli sources. In response, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have led to nearly 42,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s health ministry, effectively displacing the majority of the enclave’s population of 2.3 million.
Iran, which supports both Hezbollah and Hamas, has faced losses, including critical commanders from its Revolutionary Guards Corps, due to Israeli airstrikes in Syria this year. In retaliation, Iran launched a series of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, though the strikes reportedly caused minor damage. As the situation evolves, Israel is contemplating its options in response to Iran’s military actions.
Oil prices have surged amid concerns over possible attacks on Iranian oil facilities as Israel seeks to counter Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and combat Hamas in Gaza. U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israel on Friday to consider alternatives to striking Iranian oil fields, emphasising that Israel has not yet finalised its strategic response to Iran.
According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, Army General Michael Kurilla, the top U.S. general for the Middle East, is expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days. Israeli and U.S. officials were not immediately available for further comment.
