Hezbollah confirms Nasrallah’s likely successor Hashem Safieddine is dead

Hashem Safieddine, Hezbollah leader, killed in Israeli airstrikes, leaving group in disarray amid escalating conflict with Israel.

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

Safieddine, who was about 60, was killed in early October in a series of Israeli airstrikes in a southern suburb of Beirut that shook much of the Lebanese capital, part of Israel's campaign against Hezbollah. Israel said Tuesday (October 22, 2024) that Safieddine had been killed in the strikes; Hezbollah confirmed the death Wednesday (October 23, 2024).

Safieddine's death came as he was widely expected to be elected the group's next leader after the death of Hassan Nasrallah, one of its founders.

Safieddine, Nasrallah's maternal cousin, had spent years preparing for the position — but the announcement was slow in coming following the September 27 airstrike in the Beirut suburbs that killed Nasrallah, part of a series of blows dealt by Israel that had left Hezbollah in disarray.

A black-turbaned cleric with a thick gray beard who bore a strong resemblance to Nasrallah, Safieddine was known for defiant speeches in which he vowed that Hezbollah would keep fighting Israel no matter the price.

A familiar 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 acts as its military command. He also headed its Executive Council, which runs schools and social programs.

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