Top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine is dead

BEIRUT – Hashem Safieddine, a strongman who rose through the ranks of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah over decades to become the organization’s second most powerful person, has died.

Safieddine, about 60 years old, was killed in early October in a series of Israeli airstrikes in a southern suburb of Beirut that shook much of the Lebanese capital as part of Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah. Israel said on Tuesday that Safieddine had been killed in the attacks; Hezbollah confirmed the death on Wednesday.

Safieddine’s death came as he was widely expected to be chosen as the group’s next leader following the death of Hassan Nasrallah, one of its founders.

Safieddine, Nasrallah’s cousin, had been preparing for the position for years — but the announcement was slow to come after the September 27 airstrike on the outskirts of Beirut that killed Nasrallah, part of a series of Israeli blows that struck Hezbollah left in disarray. .

Safieddine, a cleric with a black turban and a thick gray beard who closely resembled Nasrallah, was known for his defiant speeches in which he vowed that Hezbollah would continue to fight Israel at any cost.

He was a well-known face in Lebanon and a leader with close ties to Iran. He was a member of the group’s decision-making Shura Council and its Jihad Council, which serves as a military command. He also headed the Executive Council, which manages schools and social programs.

Safieddine’s death comes at a delicate time for Hezbollah. In the aftermath of ally Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and rockets into Israel – and they have regularly exchanged fire since.

But there has been a significant escalation in recent weeks, as Israel carried out a series of attacks on top Hezbollah commanders and apparently blew up thousands of communications equipment used by the group’s members. The country has since launched a ground invasion of Lebanon, which it says is aimed at pushing Hezbollah militants back from the border.

Despite the lack of a formal announcement after Nasrallah’s death, it was widely known that Safieddine was already in control and running the group’s affairs, although the official acting leader was his deputy, Naim Kassem.

It is not clear who will now take over Hezbollah’s top position, especially since another leading candidate, Nabil Kaouk, was also killed in an Israeli attack hours after Nasrallah’s death.

Like Nasrallah, Safieddine bore the title of Sayyid, an honorific meant to signify the Shia cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam. Since its founding during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, the Shia Muslim Hezbollah has been led by a cleric.

At a funeral last month in a Beirut suburb for Hezbollah members killed in the exploding pager attack, Safieddine vowed that Hezbollah would not bow down and would fight back.

“This aggression will certainly receive a special punishment. This punishment will definitely come,” Safieddine said.

During the ceremony, several walkie-talkies exploded, injuring people nearby. Safieddine stayed at the funeral until the end, despite the new series of explosions.

Safieddine was close to Iran. His son, Rida, is married to Zeinab Soleimani, the daughter of General Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, who was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020.

Safieddine’s brother, Abdallah, is Hezbollah’s point of contact in Tehran, a crucial role in the organization as Iran is its main backer, supplying the country with weapons and money.

In May 2017, the US and some of its Arab allies, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, imposed sanctions on ten top Hezbollah officials, including Nasrallah, Kassem and Safieddine.