Hashem Safieddine to Lead Hezbollah After Nasrallah’s Death in Israeli Airstrike: Reports

Beirut: Hashem Safieddine is set to succeed Hassan Nasrallah as the chief of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah following Nasrallah’s death in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut.

Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, has been a prominent figure within the group since its inception 32 years ago.

While reports initially suggested that Safieddine had also been killed in the attacks, a source within Hezbollah confirmed that he is alive.

Safieddine, born in 1964 in Deir Qanun al-Nahr, Lebanon, has been viewed as Nasrallah’s successor since the 1990s, when he returned to Beirut from Iran, where he had been studying.

Designated a terrorist by the United States in 2017, Safieddine manages Hezbollah’s political affairs and is a member of its Jihad Council. His connections to the Iranian regime are notable; he is the father-in-law of Zeinab Soleimani, daughter of the late Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Additionally, he was blacklisted by Saudi Arabia in the same year for supporting the Syrian government.

As head of the executive council, Safieddine has been responsible for Hezbollah’s political and civilian operations, including education and finances, while Nasrallah managed strategic decisions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he ordered Nasrallah’s elimination, calling it a “historical turning point” that would prevent him from continuing to “terrorise the world.” The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) also reported the elimination of another key Hezbollah figure, Hassan Khalil Yassin, who led an intelligence unit focused on identifying Israeli targets.