Hezbollah is now run by a committee following the death of Hassan Nasrallah, an official with the group said, while also accusing Israel of obstructing search and rescue efforts in the area where Hashem Safyeddin is believed to be.

In particular, Hezbollah’s senior political official, Mahmoud Qmati, said the organization is now jointly run until it can choose a new leader, which will take time.

“What is important is that there is a common administration,” he said.

“The method of selecting a replacement for the general secretary takes time and requires appropriate conditions, and for this reason we are content today with a temporary joint administration,” he stressed.

Qmati also said Nasrallah’s body remains in Lebanon and will be buried in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah wields great influence, when circumstances permit.

Meanwhile, he accused Israel of obstructing search and rescue efforts in the area where senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safyeddin is believed to have been after Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday.

Qmati also said he had no information on reports that Iran’s Quds Force leader Esmail Qaani has shown no signs of life since the strikes in Beirut late last week.