Since last Friday (October 4), Hezbollah and its potential new leader Hashem Safieddine have been out of contact, sparking concerns. On Tuesday (October 8), Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Safieddine seems to have been killed.
In the Israeli airstrike on September 27, Hezbollah lost its leader Hassan Nasrallah. Safieddine is widely seen as Nasrallah’s potential successor.
If the rumored successor is indeed killed by Israel, it would deal another significant blow to Hezbollah and its supporters in Iran. Hezbollah would once again face the challenge of choosing a new leader.
Israeli Defense Minister Gallant said on Tuesday that Safieddine may have been killed in the airstrike on Beirut last week. However, he did not provide further details about this information.
“Hezbollah is now an organization without a leader, Nasrallah has been eliminated, and his likely successor has also likely been eliminated. This will have a huge impact on everything. (Hezbollah) has no one making decisions, so no one is taking action,” Gallant said during a visit to the Israeli Defense Forces Northern Command, adding that Hezbollah’s firepower capabilities have also been severely affected.
“The whole Middle East is watching the actions we are taking,” he added. “When the smoke clears in Lebanon, Iran will realize they have lost their most valuable asset, which is Hezbollah.”
Last Thursday (October 3), Israel launched a major attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut. According to Axios, citing three Israeli officials, the target of the attack was Safieddine in an underground shelter.
Reuters and CNN later cited Lebanese security sources saying that Hezbollah has been out of contact with Safieddine since last Friday.
Over the past few weeks, Israel has carried out intensive bombings against Hezbollah, severely damaging the organization’s command structure and killing many commanders. After leader Nasrallah was killed by Israel, Safieddine had been managing the organization together with Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem and was expected to formally succeed Nasrallah, though no official announcement had been made.
Safieddine is a cousin of Nasrallah. In 2017, the US State Department designated him as a terrorist. Philip Smyth, an expert on Iran-backed Shia militias, said Nasrallah had been “tailoring” positions for Safieddine within various internal committees of Hezbollah in Lebanon, some more opaque than others.
Safieddine’s family ties, resemblance to Nasrallah, and his religious identity as a descendant of Muhammad all favored his becoming the new leader of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah’s deputy leader Qassem stated in a televised statement on Tuesday that the organization would elect a new leader and announce it after the election is completed.