Tel Aviv: Israel, which has been battling Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip for over a year, has begun employing a new method to eliminate Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon. Hezbollah, a militant group closely linked to Iran, believed its leaders were safe in tunnels designed to protect them from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). However, Israel has now developed tactics to overcome this challenge.
Two top Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the last few weeks. Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed on September 27, followed by the death of his successor, Hashim Safiuddin, in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on October 10. Safiuddin, who was next in line to lead Hezbollah after Nasrallah, was killed in a bombing by the IDF in the Al-Marijah area. Although Israel announced Safiuddin’s death two days before, Hezbollah officially confirmed it on Wednesday.
A new approach to attack tunnels
Sources revealed that Hashim Safiuddin was not killed immediately in Israeli airstrike. Instead, he was inside a tunnel beneath a building in Al-Mazira when the attack occurred.
Seven armed Hezbollah members were with him at the time. Safiuddin survived for three days following the bombing but eventually died due to suffocation, along with the seven others, according to sources.
The sources also mentioned that Hezbollah has stored oxygen in its underground shelters because the tunnels are located deep underground, where there is little natural oxygen. To survive in these tunnels, Hezbollah uses artificial oxygen. However, after the bombing, Israeli forces monitored the area closely and prevented Hezbollah from sending any rescue teams to assist those trapped underground. As a result, Safiuddin and his companions could not be saved.
A Hezbollah official confirmed that no rescue operation was carried out due to continued Israeli strikes. Despite Hezbollah’s efforts to reach the underground shelter, Israel blocked their attempts, making it impossible for Safiuddin and his men to escape.
This is how Nasrallah was killed
The killing of Hashim Safiuddin was similar to the death of Hezbollah’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who also perished in a similar manner. According to one paramedic, Nasrallah suffocated to death in the tunnels without any physical injuries.
Israel has ramped up attacks on Hezbollah strongholds, especially in southern Beirut, where the group has a significant presence. Other areas like southern Lebanon and Bekaa in the east have also been targeted.
Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah has dealt severe blows to the group’s leadership. In addition to Nasrallah and Safiuddin, other senior figures like Ali Karaki, the leader of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, were targeted on September 23. On July 30, Israel killed Fouad Shukr, one of Hezbollah’s founding members and a key military leader, in another precise attack.
Who was Hashim Safiuddin?
Hashim Safiuddin held a top leadership role within Hezbollah, serving as the head of the group’s executive council. He was also Nasrallah’s cousin and known for being even more hardline in his views than Nasrallah himself.
Safiuddin had strong ties to Iran, as his son, Reza, was married to Zainab, the daughter of the late Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, a key figure in Iran’s military operations. Safiuddin’s brother, Abdullah, serves as Hezbollah’s representative in Tehran. In 2017, the United States officially designated Hashim Safiuddin as a terrorist.
