The assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in airstrikes on Friday has shifted focus to Hashem Safieddine, widely regarded as his potential successor, according to several reports.
Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed militant group for 32 years, was killed in a strike on his underground headquarters in a Beirut suburb, marking one of the biggest blow to Hezbollah in decades.
Who Is Hashem Safieddine?
Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, currently oversees Hezbollah’s political affairs as head of the executive council and is a member of the Jihad Council, which manages military operations.
According to The Times Of Israel, he has been groomed for leadership since the 1990s and is recognized for his religious status, wearing the black turban that signifies descent from Islam’s Prophet Mohammed. Designated a terrorist by the US in 2017, Safieddine has made headlines for his aggressive rhetoric against Israel, the newspaper said.
Following the killing of another commander earlier this year, he warned, “Let [the enemy] prepare himself to cry and wail.” His public statements often emphasize Hezbollah’s alignment with the Palestinian cause; at a recent event, he expressed solidarity with Palestinian fighters by saying, “Our history, our guns and our rockets are with you.”
Safieddine survived
While reports initially suggested that Safieddine might have been killed in the airstrikes, sources within Hezbollah later confirmed he survived. His physical resemblance to Nasrallah and strong family ties could bolster his chances of becoming the new leader.
The report of this succession comes at a challenging time for Hezbollah, as several of its top commanders have been killed in Israeli strikes, including founding members who had evaded death or detention for decades. Israel’s intensifying bombardment has increased fears the conflict could spin out of control, potentially drawing in Iran as well as the United States, Israel’s closest ally.
The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, their latest round of warfare in four decades of on-off conflict, has been waged in parallel with Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas since the Iran-backed Palestinian group attacked Israel last year in October.
(With agency inputs)
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