Striking claim from Israeli Defense Minister Gallant on Nasrallah: Has his likely successor Safieddine been killed?
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has claimed that Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah's Executive Council and the presumed successor to Hassan Nasrallah, has "likely been eliminated."
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According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, Gallant made remarks regarding current events during his visit to northern Israel.
Gallant argued that they have dealt a "heavy blow" to Hezbollah with recent attacks.
'SAFIEDDINE LIKELY ELIMINATED'
Referring to a series of assassinations carried out by Israel, including that of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Gallant commented, "Hezbollah is an organization without a leader; Nasrallah was eliminated, and his replacement (Safieddine) was likely also eliminated. This has a dramatic effect on everything that is happening. There is no one to make decisions, no one to take action."
'WHEN THE SMOKE IN LEBANON CLEARS...'
Pointing to the attacks in Lebanon and sending a message to Iran, Gallant stated, "When the smoke in Lebanon clears, Iran will realize that it has lost its most valuable asset, Hezbollah."
Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Dahiyeh neighborhood in southern Beirut on September 27.
While Hezbollah has not yet determined who will replace Nasrallah, Safieddine's name has been at the forefront for the position of Secretary-General.
The Israeli press reported that Safieddine was targeted in an airstrike carried out by the Israeli military on the night of October 3 in southern Beirut.