Israel says senior Hezbollah official probably dead, Hezbollah backs truce efforts
World
Israel says senior Hezbollah official probably dead, Hezbollah backs truce efforts
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel's defence minister said on Tuesday it appeared the replacement for slain Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had been "eliminated", in what would be another big blow for the Iran-backed group in Lebanon.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant made the announcement about Hashem Safieddine as Israel began ground operations in southwest Lebanon, expanding its incursions to a new zone, and as Hezbollah left the door open to a negotiated ceasefire.
Safieddine, a top Hezbollah official, was widely expected to succeed Nasrallah. Safieddine has not been heard from publicly since an Israeli airstrike late last week.
"Hezbollah is an organization without a head. Nasrallah was eliminated, his replacement was probably also eliminated," Gallant told officers at the Israeli military's northern command centre, in a brief video segment distributed by the military.
"There's no one to make decisions, no one to act," he said, without providing further details.
Like Nasrallah, Safieddine is a cleric who wears a black turban denoting descent from Islam's Prophet Mohammed. His physical resemblance to Nasrallah, who led the Lebanese Shi'ite group for more than three decades, has also marked him as a favourite for the succession.
Safieddine was not attending the meeting in Beirut's southern suburbs on the evening of Sept. 27 that Israel attacked with an air strike, killing Nasrallah.
But he has been a prime target for Israel, nurtured as an influential leader and potential heir. As head of Hezbollah's executive council, he has overseen the group's political affairs, while also sitting on the Jihad Council, which manages its military operations.
CEASEFIRE EFFORTS
In a televised speech shown before the release of the video with Gallant's announcement, Hezbollah's deputy leader Naim Qassem said he supported attempts to secure a truce, and for the first time did not mention the end of war in Gaza as a pre-condition to halting combat on the Lebanon-Israel border.
Qassem said Hezbollah supported attempts by Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, to secure a halt to fighting, which has escalated in recent weeks with the Israeli ground incursions and the killing of top Hezbollah leaders.
"We support the political activity being led by Berri under the title of a ceasefire," Qassem said in his 30-minute televised address.
