Israeli PM confirms senior Hezbollah leader dead

Jerusalem, Oct 9 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel has killed "thousands" of Hezbollah members, including Hashem Safieddine, the expected successor to the group's slain leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The statement was made in a video message to the people of Lebanon, released by Netanyahu's office on Tuesday, in which he urged them to "liberate" Lebanon from Hezbollah, accusing the group of causing the country's ongoing financial crisis, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We've degraded Hezbollah's capabilities. We took out thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself, his successor, and his successor's successor," Netanyahu said.

"Today, Hezbollah is weaker than it has been in many years," he added.

Netanyahu emphasised that Israel remains determined to continue its fight against Hezbollah.