Hezbollah confirmed on Wednesday that Hashem Safieddine, widely viewed as the successor to its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli air strike. The announcement did not specify the exact time or location of the strike but followed Israel’s statement that Safieddine and other Hezbollah leaders were killed three weeks ago in an air raid on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
In a statement, Hezbollah mourned “the head of the Executive Council of Hezbollah, his eminence the scholar Sayyed Hashem Safieddine,” who was killed by what they described as a “criminal and aggressive Zionist raid” alongside other Hezbollah fighters. Safieddine was a significant figure within the organization, known for his deep religious ties and close relationship with Nasrallah, his cousin.
The death of Safieddine, who was considered Nasrallah’s likely successor, marks a major loss for Hezbollah. Safieddine was a key member of the group’s Shura Council and had strong connections to Iran, having studied in the holy city of Qom. Both the United States and Saudi Arabia designated Safieddine as a “terrorist” in 2017.