 "Residents check their destroyed apartment at the site of Thursday's Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday. AP")
Hezbollah’s Liason and Coordination Unit chief Wafiq Safa, who was the target of Israeli strikes in central Beirut on Thursday, is in critical condition.
According to a Times of Israel report, citing Sky News Arabia, Safa “was seriously injured and is in critical condition.”
There is no other sourcing for the claim as of now, added the report.
Safa eluded an Israeli assassination attempt on Thursday, reported Reuters, citing three security sources.
Safa managed foreign relations for the group and made a trip to the UAE in March, which was viewed as a potential thaw in relations between the group and the Gulf.
He also played a key role in the group’s security and notably threatened the judge investigating the Beirut port blast after the judge sought to interrogate Hezbollah-affiliated officials.
Safa was sanctioned in 2019 by the US Treasury Department, which described him as Hezbollah’s interlocutor to the Lebanese security forces.
“As the head of Hezbollah’s security apparatus, which is directly linked to Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, Safa has exploited Lebanon’s ports and border crossings to smuggle contraband and facilitate travel on behalf of Hezbollah, undermining the security and safety of the Lebanese people, while also draining valuable import duties and revenue away from the Lebanese government,” Times of Israel quoted the Treasury Department as writing at the time.
Lebanese health ministry had reported at least 22 killed and 117 injured at midnight after Israeli airstrikes hit residential areas of central Beirut on Thursday evening, making them the deadliest attacks to target central Beirut since the start of the war.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe Israeli strikes hit a densely packed residential neighbourhood of apartment buildings and shops in working class districts in the heart of Beirut.
Israel had not previously targeted the area, which is situated away from the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah’s headquarters have faced repeated bombings by Israel.
After Israel killed a series of top Hezbollah officials in recent weeks, including top leader Hassan Nasrallah, Safa was among the few surviving senior figures as the group’s upper echelons struggled to reorganise.
The attempt to assassinate Safa, whose responsibilities span both security and political matters, signifies an expansion in Israel’s targeting of Hezbollah officials, which had previously concentrated on the group’s military commanders and senior leaders.
With inputs from agencies