Israeli strikes pound Lebanese southern coastal city of Tyre
Al Jazeera
Hezbollah confirms death of Hashem Safieddine, who had been widely expected to be chosen as the group’s next leader.
Israeli warplanes have attacked multiple buildings in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Tyre, sending up large clouds of black smoke, as the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah confirmed that a top official widely expected to be the group’s next leader had been killed in an Israeli strike.
There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings ahead of the strikes. The Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported on Wednesday that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh had killed three people.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired a new barrage of rockets into Israel, including two that set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv before being intercepted.
The group also confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, who had been widely expected to take over the leadership of Hezbollah following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah last month.
Israel said on Tuesday that it had killed Safieddine in a strike earlier this month in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
