In a significant recent development, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, who was believed to be the next leader of Hezbollah, following an airstrike in southern Beirut earlier this month. Speaking on Tuesday evening, an Israeli military spokesperson stated that the strikes in the Dahiyeh suburb also killed Ali Hussein Hazima, the head of the militant group’s intelligence branch, during operations conducted three weeks ago.
This marks a pivotal moment, as it’s the first time Israel has acknowledged the death of a high-ranking Hezbollah political figure since the former secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah has yet to respond to this claim.
Safieddine, who held a key position as head of Hezbollah’s executive council, was said to have been chosen as Nasrallah’s successor several years back. A cousin of the former leader, he shared much of Nasrallah’s charismatic appeal, which had fostered a strong cult of personality around him. Following the Israeli strikes on October 3rd, targeting what was reported as an underground bunker housing the senior leader, Safieddine’s status remained uncertain, with Hezbollah unable to re-establish communication with him since the attack. Rescue teams were reportedly barred from reaching the bombing site.
With Safieddine’s demise, Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, is now the only remaining figure from the organization’s senior public leadership. Although Qassem has been a prominent face of Hezbollah since Nasrallah’s assassination, he does not enjoy the same level of support among the group’s followers.
The identity of Hezbollah’s next leader remains unclear. In a speech two weeks ago, Qassem mentioned that the process of appointing a new leader is complex and will take time. Alongside these political losses, Israel has reportedly decimated much of Hezbollah’s senior military cadre in recent months.
The airstrike that claimed Safieddine’s life also resulted in the deaths of 25 other Hezbollah leaders, as per Israeli reports. Last week, Israel took out Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. During a visit to Israel on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that Israeli leaders should “capitalize” on Sinwar’s death to seek an end to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and to work towards the release of hostages taken during Hamas’s initial assault that sparked the ongoing war. He also stressed the importance of improving humanitarian aid access for Palestinians.
Following these developments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office characterized his meeting with Blinken, which lasted over two hours, as “friendly and productive.”
Despite significant losses in its leadership structure, Hezbollah maintains that it has preserved its organizational integrity, citing Israel’s perceived failures in advancing its objectives in southern Lebanon as evidence. Since Israel launched its ground incursion into Lebanon on September 30, Hezbollah fighters have engaged in daily confrontations with Israeli troops, with tanks observed in various border villages and extensive destruction reported in southern Lebanese towns due to Israeli remote detonations.
Israel maintains that its ground operations are intended to dismantle Hezbollah’s border infrastructure to prevent cross-border attacks. The level of success in achieving these objectives remains uncertain, as media access to southern Lebanon is limited.
Born in 1964 in southern Lebanon, Safieddine was a founding member of Hezbollah and spent considerable time in Qom, Iran, before being entrusted with various significant responsibilities within the organization. He has been designated as a “terrorist” by both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia since 2017.
In contrast to Nasrallah’s reclusive lifestyle, Safieddine made public appearances at political and religious events, including funerals, during the past year of hostilities with Israel, a stark change from the previous leader’s secretive approach.
Recently, Israel has intensified its air campaign in Lebanon, targeting infrastructure linked to Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a Hezbollah-affiliated bank accused of financing the organization. The bank, part of Hezbollah’s philanthropic network, operates over 30 buildings throughout Lebanon.
On Monday night, Israeli strikes on Greater Beirut resulted in 18 fatalities, including four children, and injured 60 others in Dahiyeh, causing significant damage to the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, Lebanon’s largest public medical facility.
In retaliation, Hezbollah fired rockets at Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel and successfully downed an Israeli Hermes 450 drone with a surface-to-air missile on Tuesday afternoon.
The conflict escalated after Hezbollah launched rockets targeting Israel on October 8, 2023, in an act of solidarity with Hamas, which had attacked the previous day. Since Israel’s initiation of “Operation Northern Arrows” on September 23, hostilities have dramatically increased, with casualties in Lebanon surpassing 2,500, and injuries exceeding 11,850 over the past year.
