Tipsheet

Hezbollah Picked a New Leader. Israel Killed Him Quickly.

The most dangerous job right now is being the leader of Hezbollah. It’s become the kiss of death since whoever is tapped to lead this terror group is promptly killed by Israeli airstrikes. The Jewish State has been surgical in its dismantling of the top echelons of this terrorist organization, and it’s wonderful to see. On September 27, Israel successfully clipped Hassan Nasrallah, using Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s United Nations trip as a diversion. The next day, the man tapped to be his successor, Nabil Qaouk, got blown up in an airstrike.

Now, Hashem Safieddine, the latest leader, has been targeted in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut (via Axios): 

Israel conducted a targeted strike in Beirut on Wednesday night local time against the head of Hezbollah's executive committee Hashim Safi al-Din, three Israeli officials said. 

Why it matters: Safi al-Din is the leading figure to succeed Hassan Nasrallah as Hezbollah's leader. An Israeli official said Safi al-Din was in a bunker deep underground and it isn't yet clear whether he was killed in the strike. 

The State Department listed Safi al-Din as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in May 2017. 

State of play: The strike took place in a suburb south of Beirut, where many Hezbollah compounds are located. 

There’s no official word of his death, but we have reports that he was eliminated in those strikes.

UPDATE: He's gone.