Israel conducted a targeted strike in Beirut on Wednesday night local time against the head of Hezbollah’s executive committee Hashim Safi al-Din, three Israeli officials said. Why it matters: Safi al-Din is the leading figure to succeed Hassan Nasrallah as Hezbollah’s leader. An Israeli official said Safi al-Din was in a bunker deep underground and it isn’t yet clear whether he was killed in the strike.