The fate of Hashem Safieddine, a high-ranking Hezbollah figure and potential successor to the late leader Hassan Nasrallah, remains uncertain following an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Thursday.
According to reports from Lebanese media, Safieddine was present in an underground bunker that was struck during a series of ten Israeli attacks. His death, however, has yet to be confirmed by Hezbollah or Israel.
An Israeli official told CNN that Safieddine was the target of the airstrike, but it is not clear if he survived. Hezbollah communications chief Mohammad Rashid Skaafi was confirmed dead by Israeli authorities in the same attack. The intensity of the explosions was reportedly larger than the October 27th strike that killed Nasrallah.
Safieddine, born in the southern Lebanese village of Deir Qanoun En Nahr in 1964, has been a key figure within Hezbollah for years, particularly through his leadership of the group’s executive council, which oversees political affairs. He has also been closely involved in military matters as a member of the Jihad Council, responsible for Hezbollah’s operations. His deep ties with Iran were solidified through his close relationship with Qassem Soleimani, the late Iranian Quds Force commander, whose daughter is married to Safieddine’s son.
Hezbollah has yet to name a successor to Nasrallah. There are concerns within the group that appointing Safieddine as the new secretary-general could make him a more prominent target for Israeli strikes. “Appointing a new secretary general could be dangerous if Israel assassinates him right after,” Ali al-Amin, editor-in-chief of the Janoubia news portal, told Reuters. “The group can’t risk more chaos by appointing someone only to see him killed.”
In the aftermath of the strike, Safieddine has not been seen in public, and rumors of his death continue to circulate. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has reportedly been quietly burying other commanders in temporary locations, postponing official funerals until the war concludes, amid fears of provoking further Israeli action.
Safieddine has long been a vocal critic of both Israel and the United States, accusing Washington of “interfering” in Lebanese politics and destabilizing the region.
Designated a terrorist by the U.S. State Department in 2017, he remains a key figure in Hezbollah’s political and military activities.
