by WorldTribune Staff, October 9, 2024 Contract With Our Readers
Israel has killed the projected new Hizbullah leader as well as the next in line for the job, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday. He urged Lebanese citizens to take their country back from the Iran-backed terror group
Hashem Safieddine, who was expected to lead the organization after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah last month, was targeted in an airstrike in Beirut last Thursday, Netanyahu said.
Hashem SafieddineIn an English-language video message addressed to the Lebanese public, Netanyahu said that Israel has “degraded Hizbullah’s capabilities; we took out thousands of terrorists, including [longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah himself, and Nasrallah’s replacement, and his replacement’s replacement.”
“Today, Hizbullah is weaker than it has been in many, many years,” said the premier.
Israel killed Nasrallah, who had led the terror group since 1992, in an airstrike on Beirut on Sept. 27. Late on Oct. 3, Israel carried out a heavy bombing in Beirut said to target Safieddine, who was the head of the Hizbullah executive council, overseeing the group’s political affairs, and was presumed to be Nasrallah’s successor.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Safieddine was likely killed in last week’s strike in Beirut.
“Hizbullah is an organization without a leader, Nasrallah was eliminated, his replacement was probably also eliminated,” said Gallant during a visit to the IDF Northern Command, adding that Hizbullah’s firepower capabilities have also taken a heavy blow.
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“This has a dramatic effect on everything that happens. There is no one to make decisions, no one to act,” the defense minister added. “The actions we are taking are being observed all over the Middle East. When the smoke in Lebanon clears, they will realize in Iran that they have lost their most valuable asset, which is Hizbullah.”
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In his video message on Tuesday night, Netanyahu urged Lebanese citizens to take the country back from Hizbullah control.
“You, the Lebanese people, you stand at a significant crossroads. It is your choice,” he said. Lebanese citizens “can now take back your country. You can return it to a path of peace and prosperity.”
If not, Netanyahu added, “Hezbollah will continue to try to fight Israel from densely populated areas at your expense.”
The prime minister said the Lebanese people “deserve to restore Lebanon to its days of tranquility; you deserve a Lebanon that is different… Don’t let these terrorists destroy your future any more than they’ve already done.”
He said the people of Lebanon “have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza. It doesn’t have to be that way… Free your country from Hezbollah so that your country can prosper again, so that future generations of Lebanese and Israeli children will know neither war nor bloodshed, but will finally live together in peace.”
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Israel eliminates ‘Nasrallah’s replacement and his replacement’s replacement’ added by Editor Two on October 9, 2024
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