Israeli media claims likely successor to Nasrallah wounded in attack on Beirut

Israeli media has reported that Hashem Saifeddine, widely considered to be a possible successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was wounded in an attack on Lebanon's capital Beirut on Thursday or Friday.

Hezbollah is yet to issue a statement on the claims, while Israel’s Channel11 reported that Safieddine was accompanied by senior Hezbollah officials who were also wounded in the attack.

One report from the Saudi Al Hadath news outlet said that Saifeddine was killed, however this has not yet been confirmed by Israeli or Hezbollah officials.

The strike was carried out on Thursday night and went on into the early hours of Friday. It was considered one of the fiercest on the southern suburbs of Beirut since Israel dramatically escalated its aggression against Lebanon last month.

Saifeddine is the maternal cousin of Nasrallah, with both of them having studied in Iran together in the 1980s. He previously served as the head of Hezbollah’s executive council and is largely seen as one of the most likely candidates to take over following the killing of Nasrallah.

Hezbollah is yet to name a successor to Nasrallah, however, the heir will be taking on the organisation’s highest ranking seat and overseeing key political decisions.

According to The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Israel launched eight raids simultaneously on the southern suburbs of Beirut late on Thursday, with the echoes of it heard in far away coastal areas.

Following the strikes, large fires broke out in the areas, making it difficult for ambulances and firefighters to reach the areas.

Over the last year, Saifeddine has regularly made public addresses calling for resistance to Israel and  denouncing its bombardment of Lebanon.

Following the pager explosion attacks targeting Hezbollah leaders, which Israel is believed to have orchestrated in Lebanon last month, the 60-year-old vowed that Hezbollah "will not back down" in its operations against Israel

Israel is preparing to expand ground operations in Lebanon, according to Israeli media.

"The Northern Command has begun preparing for the next phase of fighting, and the intention is to enter every village and town, to ensure that there is no Hezbollah infrastructure that could threaten the residents of the north [of Israel]," Israeli media reported, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Israeli troops have encountered fierce resistance from Hezbollah fighters however, with Hezbollah claiming to have killed and injured 20 Israeli troops in an ambush in southern Lebanon on Saturday.

Over 2,000 people are believed have been killed by Israel in Lebanon since it intensified its attacks on the country last month.

Israel’s bombardment of the country has displaced around 1.2 million people, as people scramble to flee the south, the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern suburbs of the capital Beirut.

Leading humanitarian and human rights organisations have called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel continues to wage its expanding war in the region.