Hezbollah announced on Wednesday that one of its top members, Hashim Saifieddin, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Hashim Saifieddin was a strong possibility to replace organization chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike last month. The announcement came a day after Israel said Saffieddin was killed in one of its strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier this month. Several top Hezbollah members have been killed in Israeli strikes in the past several weeks.
Hezbollah confirms death of Nasrallah’s potential successor in Israeli strike
Hezbollah has confirmed the death of cleric Hashem Saffieddine, a cousin of former chief Hassan Nasrallah and set to become the group’s next leader, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike nearly three weeks ago. The Israeli military said Tuesday night that Saffieddin had been targeted in an attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
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Hezbollah issued a statement on Wednesday expressing its condolences, calling Saffieddin a “great leader and great martyr” who lived an “honorable life.” However, the Iran-backed terrorist group did not name the leader. He served as head of the group’s executive council and was a cousin of the late Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 27.
After Nasrallah’s death, Israel said, “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.”
Following Nasrallah’s death, Saffiedine assumed a prominent leadership role within Hezbollah and was expected to be formally selected as the next Secretary General, although no official announcement was made before his death.
On 4 October, Israel conducted a series of airstrikes near Beirut’s airport, during which Hezbollah officials reported losing contact with Saffieddine. American media sources quoted Israeli officials as saying that he was the intended target of the bombing.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Tuesday that Saffieddin Ali Hussein was killed along with Hazima, whom it described as the commander of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters.
Having studied theology in Iran, Saffieddin had family ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards; His son was married to the daughter of General Qassem Soleimani, the influential Iranian commander killed in a 2020 US airstrike in Iraq. Saffieddin is believed to have been around 60 years old at the time of his death.
In a recent speech in Beirut, Saffiedine discussed Hezbollah’s approach to leadership succession, saying, “In our resistance, when a leader is martyred, another takes up the flag and new, surer, stronger determination. Moves forward together.”
The Israeli military intensified its offensive against Hezbollah after nearly a year of cross-border hostilities, which were escalated by the ongoing war in Gaza. Israeli officials said it was intended to ensure the safe return of residents displaced by Hezbollah’s rocket, missile and drone attacks.
The conflict has had a devastating impact, with at least 2,500 Lebanese casualties and nearly 12,000 injured reported by Lebanon’s health ministry over the past year. In response, Hezbollah has launched thousands of rockets and drones at Israel, resulting in at least 59 deaths in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.
