Live Updates: Hezbollah loses contact with Safieddine as Israel vows ‘serious’ response to Iran

Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that it had lost contact with Hashem Safieddine, the group’s second in command who is seen as the likely successor to slain leader Hassan Nasrallah. 

Quoting a Hezbollah source, AFP reported that the party has not been in contact with Safieddine since Friday following an Israeli strike that targeted him in south Beirut. 

Safieddine is seen as most likely heir to Nasrallah, and has close ties to the Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The news comes as death toll in Lebanon since Oct. 8, 2023 has surpassed 2,000 people, with more than 1,000 of those killed since Israel began to escalate its attacks in late September.

Meanwhile, Iran and the rest of the world await Israel’s avowed response to Tehran launching of nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday night. Israel is weighing possible responses to the attack, including attacking Iran’s oil facilities. On Friday, President Joe Biden said Israel had not yet decided on a response, but told reporters "If I were in those shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields."

In southern Lebanon, the Israeli army has continued a ground invasion it began on Monday, the first such operation in 18 years. Israel hit Tripoli in northern Lebanon for the first time since 2006, in a strike that targeted Badawi refugee camp and reportedly killed a Hamas leader.