Israel says it has eliminated Hezbollah communication chief in Beirut

Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, who was responsible for Hezbollah's communications unit since 2000, was allegedly killed in Israeli airstrikes in Beirut on Thursday.

In Short

• Israel launches airstrikes targeting Hezbollah leaders
• Claims strike killed Sakafi, who managed Hezbollah's communication
• Israeli strike bigger than one that killed Nasrallah, as per local media report

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday claimed that it had eliminated the head of Hezbollah's communication networks, Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, in the strikes it carried out on Beirut on Thursday.

"Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Communications Unit, killed during a precise, intelligence-based strike in Beirut yesterday", IDF posted on X.

Sakafi was responsible for the group's communications unit since 2000. He invested significant efforts to develop communication capabilities between all of Hezbollah's units, the IDF post added.

Israel had earlier claimed that it had killed another senior Hezbollah official, Mohammed Anisi, involved in the group’s development of precision guided missiles, in a recent airstrike that targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence branch in Beirut.

On Thursday, a series of massive blasts rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing several people and shaking buildings kilometres away in the Lebanese capital, as Israel stepped up its offensive against Hezbollah.

Israel hit Beirut at midnight with an intense barrage of airstrikes, presumably while senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine was attending a meeting of senior officials in an underground bunker, according to The New York Times. The bombardment was one of the heaviest in the area since Israel killed Nasrallah last week.

According to news outlet Axios, which cited Lebanese media, the Israeli strike was far larger than the one that killed Nasrallah. The number of casualties was not immediately known.