Unnamed Israeli sources have informed Sky News Arabia that Hashem Safieddine, the presumed successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in a heavy airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight between Thursday and Friday. Safieddine has been unreachable since the attack, according to Lebanese security sources cited by Reuters.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed yesterday morning that the airstrike targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters, though the military did not specify who was present at the underground bunker during the raid. The IDF has been conducting intensified airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in Beirut as part of its broader operations against the Iran-backed terror group.

Rescue workers have been unable to reach the suspected bunker due to ongoing airstrikes in the area, three Lebanese security sources reported on Saturday. The sources added that Safieddine, who was widely anticipated to succeed Nasrallah as the group’s leader, has not been in contact since the strike.

The airstrikes follow Israel’s elimination of Nasrallah last week, heightening tensions across the region as Hezbollah continues to fire rockets into Israeli territory in retaliation.