The Israeli military has announced the death of Hashem Safieddine, a cleric believed to be the potential successor to the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, following an airstrike nearly three weeks ago. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Safieddine was killed in strikes targeting southern suburbs of Beirut.
Hezbollah, a significant Lebanese Shia organization engaged in conflict with Israel, has yet to confirm Safieddine’s death. His predecessor, Nasrallah, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut on September 27.
Following airstrikes near Beirut’s airport on October 4, Hezbollah officials reported that they lost contact with Safieddine. U.S. media have cited Israeli sources indicating that he was the intended target of these bombings. The strikes resulted in massive explosions that reverberated throughout the city, with smoke billowing into the early hours.
On Tuesday, the IDF released a statement declaring that Safieddine, alongside Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters commander Ali Hussein Hazima, was targeted in a strike on the group’s central intelligence facility in Beirut. The IDF accused Safieddine of orchestrating “terrorist attacks against Israel” for many years and playing a pivotal role in Hezbollah’s decision-making.
Hezbollah holds a notable position in Lebanon’s military, political, and social landscape, classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S., the U.K., and several other nations. Safieddine was designated a “global terrorist” by both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in 2017.
A cousin of Nasrallah, Safieddine studied religious disciplines in Iran. His familial connections extend to Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s influential military leader who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq in 2020. Safieddine was reportedly around 60 years old at the time of his demise.
In a speech delivered in Beirut this summer, Safieddine elaborated on Hezbollah’s perspective on leadership transitions, stating, “In our resistance, when any leader is martyred, another takes up the flag and goes on with new, certain, strong determination.”
Israel has intensified its military operations against Hezbollah following nearly a year of escalating cross-border conflicts, exacerbated by the recent war in Gaza. The aim is to guarantee the safety of residents in border areas affected by Hezbollah’s missile and drone assaults.
Lebanon’s health ministry reports that more than 2,464 individuals have died and nearly 12,000 have been injured across Lebanon over the past year. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s aggressive actions have resulted in significant casualties in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.
