The Israeli military has confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, who was seen as the frontrunner to succeed Hassan Nasrallah as the leader of Hezbollah following Nasrallah’s assassination last month.
In a statement, the Israeli military reported that strikes in the Dahiyeh suburb had resulted in the deaths of Safieddine and Ali Hussein Hazima, the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence branch, three weeks ago.
The airstrike targeted a meeting of high-ranking Hezbollah officials and marked one of the most intense bombardments of the Dahiya area since the killing of Hassan Nasrallah on September 27.
Safieddine headed Hezbollah’s executive council, the organization’s top political decision-making body, and had been identified as a potential successor to Nasrallah several years prior. He was also a cousin of the former secretary-general.
His status remained uncertain following Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh on October 3, which targeted an underground bunker where he was believed to be staying.
Reports indicated that Hezbollah had lost contact with Safieddine since the airstrike, and rescue teams were unable to access the bombing site.
With Safieddine’s death, only Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, remains among the group’s publicly recognized senior leadership. Qassem has served as the public face of the organization since Nasrallah’s assassination.
Recent Israeli operations have significantly diminished Hezbollah’s upper echelon, leaving the group in turmoil. The suburb where Safieddine was killed faced further airstrikes on Tuesday, with the Israeli military demolishing a building they claimed housed Hezbollah facilities.
