Israel confirms killing of Hezbollah executive council head Hashem Safieddine, presumed successor of Nasrallah

Buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Khan Yunis. Pic/AFP

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has said that Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut earlier this month. Hezbollah's executive council's head Safieddine was presumed to be the successor of Hassan Nasrallah after he was killed in September, The Times of Israel reported. According to IDF, Hashem was the cousin of Hassan Nasrallah.

According to Israeli military, Safieddine was killed alongside Hussein Ali Hazima, the Commander of Hezbollah's Intelligence Headquarters during the strike on October 4. The airstrike had targeted Hezbollah's underground intelligence headquarters in Beirut, as per the Israeli army was "in the heart of a civilian population" in the Lebanese capital's southern suburb, known as Dahiyeh.

The IDF said that over 25 members of Hezbollah's intelligence division, including other top commanders, were at the headquarters when the strike was conducted, The Times of Israel reported. Safieddine had been out of contact since the strike. However, the IDF could today confirm his death. Hezbollah has not yet released a statement confirming his death, the report said. The US State Department had designated Hashem Safieddine as a terrorist in 2017.

In a statement shared on X, the IDF stated, "Hashem Safieddine, Head of the Hezbollah Executive Council and Ali Hussein Hazima, Commander of Hezbollah's Intelligence Headquarters, were eliminated during a strike on Hezbollah's main intelligence HQ in Dahieh approx. 3 weeks ago. Hashem Safieddine was a member of the Shura Council, Hezbollah's most senior military-political forum, responsible for the decision-making and policy-making in the terrorist organization."

"Hashem was the cousin of Hassan Nasrallah, the former leader of Hezbollah, and had a significant influence on decision-making within Hezbollah. During times when Nasrallah was absent from Lebanon, Hashem filled in as the Secretary-General of Hezbollah. Throughout the years, Safieddine directed terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and took part in Hezbollah's central decision-making processes. Alongside Hashem, the terrorist Ali Hussein Hazima, the Commander of Hezbollah's Intelligence Headquarters, was also eliminated. He was responsible for directing numerous attacks on IDF soldiers," it added.

On September 28, the IDF confirmed the killing of Hassan Nasrallah in the airstrikes carried out by the Israeli military in Beirut. In a statement, the IDF said, "Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorise the world." Nasrallah was targeted at Hezbollah's main headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh. The headquarters is underground, beneath residential buildings in the Dahiyeh, according to the IDF.

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