Hashem Safieddine was reported to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month near Beirut, with the Israeli military indicating that he was a leading Hezbollah official likely to succeed the group’s current leader.
There has been no confirmation from Hezbollah regarding Safieddine’s fate. He was a prominent cleric within the organization and was anticipated to take over from Hassan Nasrallah, one of Hezbollah’s founders, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September.
According to Israel, Safieddine was killed in an airstrike in early October in a southern Beirut suburb, along with approximately 25 other Hezbollah leaders. Recent Israeli strikes have significantly impacted Hezbollah’s upper ranks, contributing to the group’s current state of disarray.
Unrelenting airstrikes against Hezbollah
The suburb where Hashem Safieddine was reportedly killed experienced further airstrikes on Tuesday, with Israeli forces targeting a building in Dahiyeh, which they claimed housed Hezbollah operations. The explosion caused smoke and debris to scatter into the air just a few hundred meters from the location where a Hezbollah spokesperson had been addressing journalists about a drone attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence.
This airstrike occurred shortly after Israel had issued an evacuation warning for two buildings it identified as being used by Hezbollah.
Hezbollah’s chief spokesperson, Mohammed Afif, confirmed the group’s responsibility for the drone attack on Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea and suggested that future strikes on the prime minister’s residence could be possible. Israeli authorities reported that neither Netanyahu nor his wife was present during the attack.
Who was Hashem Safieddine?
The deeply religious cleric Safieddine, known for his strong connections with Iran, a supporter of Hezbollah, was considered the most probable successor for the organization’s leadership position. Safieddine, characterized by his grey beard and glasses, bore a remarkable likeness to his distant cousin Nasrallah, although he was younger, being in his late 50s or early 60s.
Following the confirmation of Safieddine’s death, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the chief of the Israeli army, stated that they had successfully reached Nasrallah, his potential replacement, and much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership.
From Gaza to Lebanon
After nearly a year of conflict with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, Israel redirected its attention to Lebanon in late September, determined to secure its northern border, which was under threat from cross-border fire initiated by Hezbollah, Hamas’s ally in Lebanon.
Israel intensified its airstrikes on Hezbollah positions throughout the country and deployed ground troops at the end of the previous month, in a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of at least 1,552 individuals since September 23, as reported by the Lebanese health ministry’s figures, compiled by AFP.
On Tuesday evening, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for residents in the southern suburbs of Beirut, warning of impending strikes. Recently, the military has focused on targeting Hezbollah’s financial resources nationwide.
In response, Hezbollah has persisted in launching rockets and missiles towards Israel. According to the Israeli military, approximately 140 projectiles fired by the Hezbollah organization crossed from Lebanon into Israel on that day, as stated in an official release late on Tuesday.
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