Israel allegedly tried to eliminate former Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah's successor, Hashem Safieddine, in the Dahieh suburb in Beirut, Israeli media reported early on Friday, citing Lebanese reports. These reports could not be verified.
The strikes targeted a meeting of senior Hezbollah leaders, including Safieddine, three Israeli officials told The New York Times.
Safieddine, as head of Hezbollah's executive council, oversees the group's political affairs. He also sits on the Jihad Council, which manages the group's military operations, Reuters reported. Safieddine is a cousin of Nasrallah and was designated as a terrorist by the US State Department in 2017.
Israeli and Arab media had previously reported that the IDF conducted strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Reports noted that the military also attacked the area of Burj al-Shamali, east of Tyre, in southern Lebanon.
At least one Israeli strike early on Friday hit outside the perimeter of Beirut's international airport, according to a source in Lebanon's Ministry of Transport and Public Works.
IDF issues new evacuation warnings
These reports emerge following an evacuation warning issued by the IDF's Arabic Spokesperson, which included warnings for certain areas of Beirut in Lebanon in a post to X (Twitter) on Thursday evening.
#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى سكان الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا المتواجدين في المباني المحددة في الخريطتيْن والواقعيْن في حي برج البراجنة أنتم متواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله وسيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع على مدى الزمني القريب من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة أبناء عائلتكم عليكم… pic.twitter.com/zvYdvdeLBG
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 3, 2024
In the message, he called for residents located in specific areas of the Bourj el-Barajneh neighborhood to evacuate, as the IDF would operate against Hezbollah-affiliated facilities in the area. The warning stated to remain at least 500 meters away from these areas.
Reuters and Maariv contributed to this report.
This is a developing story.