West Asia crisis: Senior Hezbollah official eludes Israeli assassination attempt in Beirut
West Asia crisis: A look at the latest updates.
A senior official of the Iran-aligned Lebanese militant group Hezbollaheluded anIsraeli assassination attempt on Thursday (Oct 10) in Beirut, the news agency Reuters reported early Friday citing security sources.
The commander was identified asWafiq Safa. Reuters reported that Safa headsHezbollah's liaison and coordination unit, which is responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies. He was targeted on Thursday night but survived.
Also read |UN probe accuses Israel of 'crime against humanity of extermination' after 28 killed in Gaza school
Earlier on Thursday, a Lebanese security source told the news agency thatIsraeli airstrikes on central Beirut targeted at least one senior official in Hezbollah.
Safa is among few surviving senior Hezbollah members
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Following Israel's killing ofhigh-ranking Hezbollah officials in recent weeks, including top leader Hassan Nasrallah, Safa was among the few surviving senior figures as the militant group's upper echelons struggled to reorganise.
Reuters reported that the attempt to kill Safamarked a widening ofIsrael's targets among Hezbollah officials, which previously focused on the group’s military commanders and top leaders.
Safa oversaw negotiations that led to a 2008 deal in which Hezbollah exchanged the bodies ofIsraeli soldiers captured in 2006 for Lebanese prisoners inIsrael. The 2006 incident triggered a 34-day war withIsrael.
Also watch | WION Pulse: US President Biden urges Israel to 'minimise harm' in Lebanon
In 2021, he warned the judge investigating Beirut's catastrophic 2020 port explosion, who sought to question several politicians allied with Hezbollah, that the Iran-aligned groupwould remove him from the probe.
Israel didn't issue warnings ahead of strikes
The Israeli strikes on Thursdayhit a densely packed residential neighbourhood of apartment buildings and small shops in the heart of Beirut.Israelhad not previously struck the area. These strikes were the deadliestattack on central Beirut since the beginning of the hostilities.
Reuters further reported that the Israeli militarydid not issue evacuation warnings ahead of the strikes.
The number of casualties rose quickly, and as midnight approached the Lebanese Health Ministry reported 22 people killed and 117 wounded.Among the dead was a family of eight, including three children, who had evacuated from the south, a source told the news agency.
(With inputs from agencies)