Hezbollah chief Nasrallah’s potential successor Hashem Safieddine ‘killed’ in Israeli strike: Report

The strike reportedly targeted Safieddine, the rumoured successor, during Israel's campaign against the Iran-backed Lebanese group.

Born in 1964 in Deir Qanun al-Nahr, southern Lebanon, Safieddine was called back from Iran to be groomed as Nasrallah’s successor. (Reuters)

The potential successor to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been missing since Friday following an Israeli airstrike, a Lebanese security source revealed on Saturday, however as per a report by Saudi news outlet Al Hadath, Hashem Safieddine is dead along with his companions in the airstrike.

The strike reportedly targeted Safieddine, the rumoured successor, during Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed Lebanese group.

Late on Thursday, Israel launched a major airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area known as a Hezbollah stronghold. According to three Israeli officials cited by Axios, the strike aimed at Safieddine, who was believed to be in an underground bunker.

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Since the attack, rescue workers have been unable to search the site due to continued Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh, the residential suburb in southern Beirut where Hezbollah has a significant presence, confirmed by multiple Lebanese security sources.

Hezbollah has not yet issued any statement regarding Safieddine’s status.

Must read | Who is Hashem Safieddine, Hezbollah’s second-in-command, possible successor to Hassan Nasrallah?

On Friday, Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani stated that the military was still assessing the results of Thursday night’s airstrikes, which he said targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters.

Should Safieddine’s death be confirmed, it would mark another significant blow to Hezbollah and its ally Iran. Over the past year, Israeli strikes across the region have intensified, and in recent weeks, they have increasingly targeted Hezbollah’s leadership, significantly weakening the group.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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