Israel news: Leading Hezbollah official killed near Beirut [Video]

BEIRUT –

Israel said Tuesday that one of its airstrikes outside Beirut earlier this month killed a Hezbollah official widely expected to replace the longtime leader of the militant group who was killed by an Israeli airstrike last month.

There was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah about the fate of Hashem Safieddine, a powerful cleric who was expected to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, one of the group’s founders.

Safieddine was killed in early October in a strike that also killed 25 other Hezbollah leaders, according to Israel, whose airstrikes in southern Lebanon in recent months have killed many of Hezbollah’s top leaders, leaving the group in disarray.

Last week, Israel killed the top leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, during a battle in Gaza.

The Beirut suburb where Safieddine was killed was pummeled by a series of fresh airstrikes on Tuesday, including one that leveled a building it said housed Hezbollah facilities. The collapse …