Israel Claims Death of Nasrallah's Successor in Beirut Airstrike
The Israeli military has announced that they eliminated Hashem Safieddine, a key Hezbollah figure who was seen as the potential successor to Hassan Nasrallah, during an airstrike nearly three weeks ago.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Safieddine was killed in airstrikes targeting Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Hezbollah, the powerful Shia Muslim organization with deep political, military, and social influence in Lebanon, has not officially confirmed his death.
Nasrallah, the former leader of Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut on September 27.
Following another round of airstrikes near Beirut’s airport on October 4, Hezbollah reported that they had lost contact with Safieddine. Meanwhile, U.S. media, citing Israeli sources, indicated that Safieddine had been the intended target of those strikes. The airstrikes caused massive explosions that rocked the city, leaving smoke clouds visible well into the next day.
On Tuesday, the IDF issued a statement confirming that Safieddine had died, alongside Ali Hussein Hazima, the head of Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters. The Israeli military accused Safieddine of orchestrating attacks on Israel for years and being involved in Hezbollah’s top decision-making bodies.
Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries, holds significant power in Lebanon. The organization has been heavily involved in the ongoing conflict with Israel.
Safieddine, who had been labeled a “global terrorist” by both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in 2017, was a cousin of Nasrallah. He had studied religious doctrine in Iran, and his family ties extended to Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s influential military leader killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq in 2020.
At the time of his reported death, Safieddine was believed to be around 60 years old. In a speech earlier this summer, he explained Hezbollah’s philosophy on leadership succession: “In our resistance, when any leader is martyred, another takes up the flag with renewed strength and determination.”
The recent surge in Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah follows a year of escalating violence across the Israel-Lebanon border, much of which was triggered by the conflict in Gaza. Israel has said its military operations aim to protect border residents who were displaced by Hezbollah’s rocket, missile, and drone attacks.
Lebanon’s health ministry reports that over the past year, at least 2,464 Lebanese citizens have been killed and nearly 12,000 injured. Simultaneously, Hezbollah has launched thousands of rocket and drone strikes on Israel, killing at least 59 people in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, according to Reuters.
