Israel SitRep: October 23, 2024

Today’s Issue: | IDF Confirms the Death of Hashem Safieddine, Presumed Successor to Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah | IDF Eliminates Three Hezbollah Sector Commanders in Lebanon | VOA: Hezbollah Attempting to Increase European Drug Sales to Recover From Financial Crisis | COGAT: 230 Humanitarian Aid Trucks Entered Gaza in Past Week; Polio Vaccination in Southern Gaza Extended | Latest FDD Analysis

IDF Confirms the Death of Hashem Safieddine, Presumed Successor to Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah: The IDF on Tuesday confirmed that Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council and the presumed successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli Air Force airstrike about three weeks ago, along with Hussein Ali Hazima, commander of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters. The two were eliminated in an IAF strike on Hezbollah’s main intelligence headquarters in the Beirut suburb of Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold. Safieddine, who was Nasrallah’s cousin, was a member of the Shura Council, which is in charge of policymaking and decision-making for Hezbollah. According to the IDF, he had “a significant influence on decision-making” for the group and served as acting secretary-general when Nasrallah was out of the country. Hazima, according to the announcement, directed “numerous attacks” against Israeli soldiers. The IDF added that it “will continue to target Hezbollah officials and terrorists and anyone who poses a threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.”

IDF Eliminates Three Hezbollah Sector Commanders in Lebanon: On Wednesday, the IDF reported that in the past few days, Israeli Air Force fighter jets eliminated the commanders of Hezbollah’s Jouaiyya, Qana, and Jibchit sectors, who were in charge of many attacks against Israel, including the firing of anti-tank missiles and rockets toward northern Israel. IDF troops are continuing operations in southern Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah terrorist infrastructures and eliminate terrorists and have killed some 70 Hezbollah operatives in the past day on the ground and through airstrikes. More than 20 Hezbollah fighters were eliminated in several joint operations carried out by the IAF and soldiers from the 36th Division. In Gaza, after troops from the 252nd Division, operating in the center of the strip, spotted armed men in a military building, they called in an airstrike. In the Rafah area in southern Gaza, Nahal Brigade soldiers spotted a number of armed men and called in an airstrike, and a drone eliminated them. There were secondary explosions following the strike.

VOA: Hezbollah Attempting to Increase European Drug Sales to Recover From Financial Crisis: The Voice of America reported on Tuesday that Hezbollah is attempting to increase illicit drug sales in Europe to make up for the losses it has suffered as a result of Israeli operations in Lebanon. Citing Lebanese and American sources, the article states that Hezbollah has been experiencing a financial crisis since late September, when Israel started to ramp up its attacks on the group’s infrastructure and leaders in Lebanon, including Sunday’s attack on Hezbollah financial institution al-Qard al-Hassan. David Asher, a former U.S. State Department and Defense Department official, stated that several drug traffickers in Europe who previously served as law enforcement sources but are now “back on the streets” have reported “being contacted to arrange illicit drug deliveries on behalf of Hezbollah-affiliated actors as fast as possible.” In addition, retired Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Thomas Cindric reports hearing from sources connected with the illegal drug trade that the past 10 days have seen increased European drug trafficking connected to Hezbollah. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, noted that “unlike drug trafficking, Hezbollah’s other money-making ventures are not easy to ramp up quickly.”

COGAT: 230 Humanitarian Aid Trucks Entered Gaza in Past Week; Polio Vaccination in Southern Gaza Extended: On Tuesday, COGAT, the Israeli entity coordinating humanitarian aid for Gaza, reported that 230 trucks with medical supplies, food, water, and shelter equipment entered Gaza in the past week, donated by the international community and Jordan. On Wednesday, COGAT announced that yesterday, 104 trucks with humanitarian aid entered Gaza through the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings, and six cooking gas tankers entered as well. In addition, international organizations collected the contents of 32 trucks from the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom. The announcement adds that there are 12 bakeries operating in Gaza, four in the north and eight in the south, which together produce nearly 3 million pita loaves a day. COGAT also published an update on Tuesday on the polio vaccination campaign in southern Gaza, stating that 259,299 children under the age of 10 have been vaccinated. The announcement adds that some children in southern Gaza have not yet received the second vaccine and that therefore, COGAT decided to allow a fourth day of vaccinations to take place on Tuesday.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), FDD Event

“Israel Is Hurting Hezbollah. But It Can’t Rely on Lebanon to Finish the Job,” David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi, Haaretz

“UN-Backed Monitors Say Access to Food Improves in Gaza,” David Adesnik, FDD Policy Brief

“Israel executes waves of strikes on Hezbollah financial institution,” Seth J. Frantzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Hamas Leadership Regroups in Qatar Following Sinwar’s Death,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“IRGC Official Among Plotters Indicted for Attempted Murder of U.S.-Based Iranian Dissident,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Blinken Renews Push for Ceasefire Deal Following Sinwar’s Death,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Iran Is Using Lebanon’s Airport to Fund Terrorism; The World Must Respond,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief