ALBAWABA - A senior Lebanese security source told Al Jazeera that Hezbollah lost touch with Executive Council leader Hashem Safi al-Din after intensive Israeli bombings on Beirut's southern suburbs early Friday morning.
The source said Safi al-Din was in a subterranean bunker when Israeli soldiers attacked Mreijeh. Since then, Israeli drones have attacked rescue personnel trying to access the scene.
According to the source, Israel has told foreign parties that rescue crews cannot enter the targeted region. Diplomatic attempts are ongoing to allow teams to access Safi al-Din's suspected assault site.
Three Lebanese security officials told Reuters that the heavy bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs has prevented rescue workers from reaching the site, which is suspected of being the site of an assassination attempt on prospective Hezbollah leader Hashem Safi al-Din.
Despite claims, Hezbollah has not updated Safi al-Din's status. According to Tel Aviv's national TV, Safi al-Din may have died in Beirut's southern suburbs airstrike on Thursday night.
The channel further said that Israeli intelligence thinks many top Hezbollah leaders were with Safi al-Din in the subterranean bunker during the attack. The Israeli military has been silent about Safi al-Din's targeting.
The Israeli military said Friday that its planes attacked Hezbollah "intelligence targets" in Beirut. These targets purportedly held troops, intelligence systems, command centers, and other critical infrastructure. The official statement didn't mention Safi al-Din.
Hezbollah's media relations office in Beirut's Harat Hreik district was also bombed.
After Israel killed Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on September 27, Hashem Safi al-Din, born in 1964, was considered a probable successor.
