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Who is Hashem Saffiedine, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah's likely successor targeted by Israel in Beirut?
An Israeli airstrike on Thursday hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut and was allegedly aimed at senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine
The Israeli forces on Thursday stated that they had hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, in an attack reportedly aimed at Hashem Safiedine, the potential successor to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah who was killed a week ago, reported US news site Axios.
Several news agencies, however, could not verify the news, and it is unclear if Hashem Saffiedine is still alive.
Also Read: Israeli strike on Hezbollah in Lebanon's Beirut targets ‘Hassan Nasrallah’s presumed successor’ | 10 points
In a series of strikes launched at Lebanon to root out Hezbollah “terror targets”, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed amidst growing tensions between the militant group backed by Iran and the Israeli military.
Several other key Hezbollah commanders, including Ibrahim Mohammed Kobeissi and Ali Karake, were also killed this week in Israeli bombings.
Also Read: 8 Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon; Hezbollah claims 3 Merkava tanks destroyed
Here's everything we know about Hashem Saffiedine, the alleged successor to the Hezbollah:
Personal life
Hashem Saffiedine was born in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon in 1964 and is the maternal first cousin of Hassan Nasrallah, the late chief of the Hezbollah.
His brother, Abdallah Safieddine, is Hezbollah's representative to Iran. He is married to Raeda Faqih and their son Reza is married to Zeinab Soleimani, daughter of the Iranian military officer Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by an American drone in 2020.
In early 2024, allegations had surfaced of Reza's arrest for spying on Israel, but could not be confirmed.
After studying theology, he was inducted into the Hezbollah and taken under Hassan Nasrallah's wing.
A popular leader, he is often recognised by the black turban he dons as a sign of his belief that he is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Rise in the Hezbollah
Hashem Saffiedine first officially joined the Hezbollah in 1994 as one of its earliest members and by 1995 he was promoted to the Majlis al-Shura- the highest council in Hezbollah.
He was elected the president of Hezbollah's executive council, the ‘Shura Tanfiziyah’, in a general assembly meeting in July 2001 and has held that role ever since. The council is responsible for making decision regarding all political activities of the Hezbollah.
He also assumed the position of military commander for the group in southern Lebanon in 2010.
In 2008, in a general meeting, he was allegedly appointed to be Hassan Nasrallah's successor and the next secretary-general of the militant group, according to the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai Al-Aam.
In 2017, Hashem Safieddine was designated as a terrorist by the U.S. Department of State and Saudi Arabia. He was also at the centre of sanctions placed on Hezbollah by the US and Saudi Arabia in 2018.
Although he has unofficially been touted as Nasrallah's successor, news agency Reuters, stated that the Hezbollah's official Telegram communication channel had denied his appointment to replace Nasrallah on September 29, 2024.
