Israel reportedly targeted the likely successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed last week in an Israeli airstrike, on Thursday in an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon.

The operation targeted Nasrallah’s cousin, Hashim Safieddine, in one of the terror group’s deepest bunkers that was described as a “far larger” attack than the one that killed Nasrallah.

Joe Truzman, senior research analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), said that it was “embarrassing” for Iran and Hezbollah that they have not been able to figure out how Israel is locating and targeting Hezbollah’s commanders with ease on the battlefield and eliminating them at will.

“Hezbollah media relations has not made any statements on the reported targeting of Hashem Saffedine by the Israeli military in Beirut’s Dahieh,” he added. “The longer they take to say something, the likelihood he was at the site increases.”

WATCH:

Reported site in Beirut that was struck by the Israeli military. The target of the attack was an underground site where Hashem Saffedine may have been located. pic.twitter.com/mEwiJf2cXh

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) October 3, 2024

The Wall Street Journal reported that Safieddine led Hezbollah’s executive council, which was on the political side of the terrorist group. His son married the daughter of Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian commander and terrorist who was terminated by a U.S. drone strike in 2020.

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“This drastically adds to Hezbollah’s humiliation within its community, and further erodes the trust between its ranks,” said Hanin Ghaddar, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “It also means that Israel won’t stop or even shift gears after Nasrallah’s assassination.”

Israel has decimated Hezbollah’s ranks, killing nearly all top officials and commanders throughout the organization after the group fired approximately 9,000 missiles, drones, and rockets into Israel following Hamas’ October 7 attacks.