Israel claims to have killed Hezbollah leader's successors

"We have degraded Hezbollah's capabilities. We have killed thousands of terrorists, including (Hassan) Nasrallah and Nasrallah's replacement, and the replacement of the replacement," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Hashem Safieddine, who was expected to succeed Nasrallah, may have been "eliminated".

Later, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel knew Hezbollah's intended successor Hashem Safieddine was at Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters when warplanes bombed it last week and that Safieddine's situation "is being checked and when we know more, we will inform the public".

Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem speaks on October 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Hezbollah weakened?

Safieddine has been out of touch since that air strike, part of an escalation of Israeli attacks after a year of border clashes with Hezbollah. The group is the most heavily armed militant force in the Middle East and has acted to support Palestinian militants fighting Israel in Gaza. But Netanyahu said: “Hezbollah is much weaker today than it was many years ago.”

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that intense air strikes on Hezbollah underground facilities in southern Lebanon over the previous 24 hours had killed at least 50 militants, including six regional commanders and regional officials.

Western powers are seeking a diplomatic solution, fearing the conflict could affect the entire oil-producing Middle East. In a televised speech from an undisclosed location, Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said he supported efforts to reach a ceasefire.

Netanyahu's office declined to comment on Qassem's remarks. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told a news briefing in Washington that Hezbollah had "changed its stance and wants a ceasefire" because the group was "in a weak and defeated position" on the battlefield.

However, Qassem said Hezbollah's capabilities remained intact despite "painful blows" from Israel. "Dozens of cities are within range... We are assured that our capabilities are still good."

Israel steps up ground attacks

The Israeli military said it had sent its 146th Division to southern Lebanon, the first reserve division to be deployed across the border, and was expanding ground operations against Hezbollah from southeastern Lebanon to the southwest.

An Israeli military spokesman declined to say how many troops were in Lebanon at any one time. But the military has previously said that three other army divisions were operating there, meaning there could be thousands of troops on Lebanese soil.

An area devastated by an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon. Photo: Reuters

The Israeli army announced on 1 October that ground forces had entered Lebanon, initially commando units, then regular armored units and infantry units.

Overnight, Israel bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah is headquartered, and claimed to have killed a figure responsible for budget and logistics, Suhail Hussein Husseini - the latest in a series of assassinations of several senior Hezbollah commanders.

The Israeli military on Tuesday issued new evacuation warnings to residents, particularly at specific buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut where Hezbollah is headquartered.

In northern Israel, not far from the Lebanese border, sirens blared continuously throughout Tuesday as Israeli authorities said Hezbollah fired nearly 200 rockets into Israel.

An Israeli military spokesman said that as of October, more than 3,000 rockets had been fired at Israel from Lebanon, but air defenses had intercepted many causing casualties and damage.

Targets on Tuesday again included Haifa, the northern port city where there were multiple reports of damage to buildings from rocket debris. The Israeli military said it struck the launchers that fired the rockets at Haifa.

The erupting conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon in the past two weeks and displaced more than 1 million.

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/israel-tuyen-bo-giet-chet-nhung-nguoi-ke-nhiem-lanh-dao-hezbollah-dua-them-quan-vao-lebanon-post315877.html