Hezbollah Accuses Israel Of Blocking Hashem Safieddine's Search

Hashem Safieddine. (Wikimedia Commons/Khamenei.ir)

JAKARTA - Hezbollah accused Israel of obstructing search and rescue efforts in the area where the group's senior leader, Hashem Safieddine, was suspected of being when Israel bombed Beirut's southern suburbs last Thursday, an Hezbollah official said.

Safieddine is seen as a potential replacement for former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in an Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahiye, on September 27. His fate remains unclear since last week's attack.

Senior political official Hezbollah Mahmolud Qmati said Israel should "serve rescue teams to do their job," he told Iraqi state television.

Qmati said it had no information on reports that Iran's elite Quds Force leader Esmail Qa'ani had not been heard from since the attack in Beirut late last week.

He further explained that Hezbollah is now led together until he can choose a new leader, which will take time.

"The important thing is that the joint command already exists," said Qmati.

"The method of selecting a replacement secretary general takes the right time and circumstances, and for that reason we are sufficient today with a temporary joint command," he added.

Qmat added that Nasrallah's body remains in Lebanon and he will be buried on the southern outskirts of Beirut, where Hezbollah has a major influence, if conditions allow.

Israel has killed most of Hezbollah's military command and senior leadership in the nearly-a-year battle that began when Hezbollah opened a solidarity front with Palestine the day after the Hamas attack on 7 October in Israel.

The conflict has spread rapidly in recent weeks, with Israel ignoring the push for a ceasefire supported by the United States, killing Nasrallah and launching a massive air campaign that has hit Lebanese cities and villages and displaced 1.2 million people, according to Lebanese government figures.