Israel's defense minister has claimed that the IDF has "eliminated" Hezbollah's heir apparent, which, if verified, could mark another major setback for the terror organization. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that Hashem Safieddine, a senior Hezbollah leader, had been eliminated as Israel initiated ground operations in southwest Lebanon.
Safieddine, who was being prepared to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, was reportedly killed in an Israeli precision airstrike on Beirut last week. He has not been seen in public for over a week. Safieddine, a relative of Nasrallah, had been leading Hezbollah alongside deputy secretary general Naim Qassem since the assassination by Israel on September 27. His death could be a double blow.
Safieddine Likely Eliminated
As the head of Hezbollah's executive council, he was responsible for overseeing political affairs and served on the Jihad Council, helping to manage military operations. His key role within the group made him a primary target for Israel, though Hezbollah has not yet confirmed his death.
"Hezbollah is an organization without a head. Nasrallah was eliminated, his replacement was probably also eliminated,' Gallant told officers at the IDF's northern command center in a brief video segment distributed by the military.
"There's no one to make decisions, no one to act," he said, without providing further details.
Like Nasrallah, Safieddine was a cleric who donned a black turban, symbolizing his lineage from the Prophet Mohammed. His physical resemblance to Nasrallah, who had led Hezbollah for over 30 years, and his background as a cleric positioned him as a likely successor.
Born into a prominent Shi'ite family in southern Lebanon, Safieddine studied at religious seminaries in Qom, Iran, before returning to Lebanon in the 1990s to take on leadership roles within Hezbollah.
He maintained strong ties with Iran, with his son, Rida, married to the daughter of the late Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, and his brother, Abdullah, serving as Hezbollah's representative in Tehran.
Always a Preferred Successor
As head of the executive council, Safieddine oversaw various Hezbollah institutions, including those in healthcare, education, and construction. He played a key role in rebuilding Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs following the 2006 war with Israel, calling the reconstruction effort a "new victory" over Israel in a 2012 speech.
According to expert Phillip Smyth, Nasrallah had specifically placed Safieddine in key positions within Hezbollah, some of which were less transparent.
Safieddine was designated a global terrorist by the U.S. State Department in 2017. In response to U.S. pressure that year, he said that the "mentally impeded, crazy U.S. administration headed by Trump will not be able to harm the resistance."
Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's acting leader, has said that the process of selecting a new successor to Nasrallah will take place soon, though he acknowledged that the war has made the situation challenging.
Kassem, who assumed leadership after Nasrallah's assassination by the IDF, delivered a defiant televised message today, warning that more Israelis would be displaced as Hezbollah extends its rocket attacks deeper into Israeli territory.
He also claimed that, despite the large-scale damage inflicted by Israeli airstrikes and targeted explosions using pagers and walkie-talkies, Hezbollah's operational strength remains intact.
Kassem said: "We are firing hundreds of rockets and dozens of drones. A large number of settlements and cities are under the fire of the resistance.
"Our capabilities are fine and our fighters are deployed along the front lines."
