Israel says it has confirmed Safieddine's death
The Israeli military said Tuesday that one of its airstrikes outside Beirut earlier this month killed a top Hezbollah official who had been widely expected to be the group's next leader.
There was no immediate confirmation from the group about the fate of Sayyed Hashem Safieddine.
Safieddine, a powerful cleric within the party ranks, was expected to succeed Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, one of the group's founders, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September.
Israel said Safieddine was killed by an airstrike in early October in a southern suburb of Beirut. Around 25 other Hezbollah leaders were killed during the strike, Israel said.
Israeli strikes in recent months have killed much of Hezbollah's top leadership, leaving the group in disarray.
Source: Associated Press
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