Hashem Safieddine, the cleric expected to succeed Hassan Nasrallah as the next leader of Hezbollah, was confirmed dead following an Israeli airstrike nearly three weeks ago. The Israeli military announced on Tuesday night that Safieddine was killed in a strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Hezbollah expressed its mourning for “a great leader and a great martyr” who led an “honorable life.” Safieddine served as the head of Hezbollah’s executive council and was closely related to the late Nasrallah, who lost his life in an Israeli airstrike on September 27.
After Nasrallah’s death, Safieddine had stepped up within the organization and was anticipated to be formally elected as the next secretary general, though no official announcement had been made at that time. Following a series of Israeli airstrikes near Beirut’s airport on October 4, Hezbollah officials reported that they had lost contact with Safieddine, who had been identified by US media as a target of the strikes.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later stated that Safieddine was killed alongside Ali Hussein Hazima, described as the commander of Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters. The IDF accused Safieddine of orchestrating “terrorist attacks against the State of Israel” for several years and playing a key role in the group’s “central decision-making processes.”
Hezbollah, which holds significant political, military, and social influence in Lebanon, is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, the UK, and other nations. In 2017, Safieddine was designated a “global terrorist” by both the US and Saudi Arabia.
Having studied religion in Iran, Safieddine’s personal ties run deep; his son was married to the daughter of General Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander who was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020. At the time of his death, Safieddine was believed to be approximately 60 years old.
Earlier this summer, Safieddine articulated Hezbollah’s perspective on leadership transitions during a speech in Beirut, emphasizing resilience: “In our resistance, when any leader is martyred, another takes up the flag and goes on with new, certain, strong determination,” he stated, as reported by AFP news agency.
The Israeli military has intensified its operations against Hezbollah following a prolonged period of cross-border conflicts that escalated amid the Gaza war. The aim has been to secure the safe return of residents displaced by attacks originating from Hezbollah. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, over the past year, at least 2,500 Lebanese have died, and nearly 12,000 have been injured as a result of the ongoing violence, while Hezbollah has retaliated with numerous rocket and drone assaults. Reports indicate that at least 59 people have been killed in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights during this time.
