Israel's defense minister said yesterday that it appears the man who was supposed to succeed slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been "eliminated" in another severe blow to the pro-Iranian group in Lebanon.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant issued a statement about Hashem Safiyedin as Israel began new ground operations in southwest Lebanon and Hezbollah left open for ceasefire negotiations.
Safiyedin, a senior Hezbollah official, was widely expected to succeed Nasrallah. Safiyedin has not spoken publicly since the Israeli airstrike at the end of last week, according to the Reuters agency.
"Hezbollah is a headless organization. Nasrallah has been eliminated, his replacement is probably also eliminated," Galant told officers at the Israeli army's northern command center. "There is no one to make decisions, no one to act," he said, without giving further details.
Like Nasrallah, Hashem Safiyedin is a cleric who wears a black turban, signifying his descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His physical resemblance to Nasrallah, who led Lebanon's Shiite group for more than three decades, also made him the top favorite to succeed him. He did not attend the meeting in the southern suburbs of Beirut on September 27 when Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli attack.
However, he was Israel's main target, as an influential leader and potential successor. As head of Hezbollah's executive council, he oversaw the group's political affairs and was also a member of the Jihad Council, which directs military operations.
In a televised address broadcast before the release of the video with Galant's statement, Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Kassem said that he supports efforts to achieve a truce and for the first time did not mention the end of the war in Gaza as a precondition for ending the fighting on the border between Lebanon and Israel.
Kasem said that Hezbollah supports the efforts of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, to achieve a ceasefire. "We support the political activities of Beria with the goal of a truce," said Kasim in a half-hour address.
It remains unclear whether this indicates a change of attitude, after a year during which the group claimed it was fighting in support of the Palestinians in Gaza and would not stop until a ceasefire was reached there, Reuters points out.
Speaking from an unknown location, Kasem said that the conflict with Israel is a war about who will cry first, and that Hezbollah will not be the first to cry. The group's capabilities remained intact despite the "painful blows" from Israel.
"Dozens of cities are within the range of our rockets. We assure you that our capabilities are fine,” Kasem said.
His speech was broadcast 11 days after the assassination of Nasrallah, the most devastating blow Israel has dealt to its enemy in decades. Kasem said the group will elect a new secretary general and make an announcement when that is done.
Israel has still made no progress since the ground clashes that broke out in southern Lebanon a week ago, he said.
"In any case, once the ceasefire issue takes shape, and when diplomacy comes into play, all other details can be discussed and a decision made," Kasem said. "If the enemy (Israel) continues its war, then it will be decided on the battlefield".
Israel's area of operations in Lebanon is expanding. The Israeli army said it was conducting "limited, localized, targeted operations" in southwest Lebanon, after previously announcing such operations in the southeast.
As Qassem opened up the possibility of truce talks, Israel's military said it had sent the 146th Division to Lebanon, the first reserves to be deployed across the border.
The army did not specify how many soldiers are currently in Lebanon. However, it was previously reported that three other military divisions are operating in the area, which means that there are probably several thousand troops on Lebanese territory.
Tensions in the region sparked by an attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Jewish communities in southern Israel have further escalated in recent weeks following a series of Israeli military operations against Lebanon. Iran, sponsor of Hezbollah and Hamas, fired rockets at Israel on October 1st.
Yesterday, Iran warned Israel against any revenge attacks. Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi said that any attack on Iran's infrastructure will be responded to.
Yesterday, Arakçi began a visit to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East to discuss ways to "prevent the shameless crimes of the Zionist regime in Lebanon, as well as the continuation of crimes in Gaza."
Sources told Reuters that the Gulf Arab states had tried to reassure Tehran of their neutrality in the conflict.
The Israeli army again attacked Beirut's southern suburbs overnight and said it had killed Hezbollah's budget and logistics chief Suhail Hussein Husseini, the latest in a series of killings of some of the group's top officials.
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