Israel claims to have killed Hashem Safieddine, heir apparent to slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in an early October airstrike on southern Beirut.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its airstrikes on the Dahiyeh suburb killed Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s executive council, along with Ali Hussein Hazima, the group’s intelligence chief, three weeks ago.
Hezbollah is yet to confirm or deny the Israeli claim.
“We have reached Nasrallah, his replacement and most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership,” Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi said, according to Reuters. “We will reach anyone who threatens the security of the civilians of the State of Israel.”
The Israelis also claim to have killed three Hezbollah commanders and around 70 fighters over the past 48 hours in southern Lebanon.
What do we know about Hashem Safieddine?
Safieddine was born into a prominent Shia family in southern Lebanon in 1964. He joined Hezbollah in its early days during the 1980s, a period marked by the Lebanese civil war and Israel’s invasion of the country.
Safieddine rapidly rose up Hezbollah’s ranks, recognised for his leadership skills and ties to the Shia community, and ultimately became a central figure in the organisation.
He was designated a terrorist by the US in 2017.
While Washington has classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation in its entirety, the EU has only blacklisted its armed wing.
“As Nasrallah’s cousin and longtime presumed successor, he would likely be able to unify Hezbollah ranks around him,” Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy was quoted as saying by Radio Free Europe earlier in October
He added, however, that Safieddine “lacks Nasrallah’s charisma and he inherits an organisation that is a shadow of its former self”.
Safieddine, as head of the executive council, has managed Hezbollah’s financial and administrative matters. He has also overseen military operations as a member of the Jihad Council.
He took on a more visible role within the organisation in recent years, speaking at funerals and public events in place of Nasrallah, who stayed in the shadows due to security risks.
“Throughout the years, Safieddine directed terrorist attacks against the state of Israel and took part in Hezbollah’s central decisionmaking processes,” the Israeli military said in a statement on Tuesday.
Israel is yet to provide any evidence to confirm Safieddine’s death.
Hezbollah has refrained from commenting on Safieddine’s status since the airstrikes. It has not responded to Israel’s claims either.
Safieddine, like his cousin Nasrallah, has sported a black turban, symbolising his status as a respected Shia cleric, whenever he has appeared in public.
Safieddine was educated in the holy Shia city of Qom in Iran, where his brother now serves as Hezbollah’s representative.
Safieddine’s son is said to be married to the daughter of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general who reportedly played a key role in beating back Isis in Iraq and Syria and who was assassinated by the US military in 2020.
Safieddine’s involvement in Hezbollah has extended beyond Lebanon. His position on the Jihad Council allowed him oversight over the group’s military operations during the Syrian civil war, in which it supported President Bashar al-Asad’s government.
His death, if confirmed, would represent another significant setback for Hezbollah after the assassination of Nasrallah last month.
