On October 22, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Hashem Safieddine, one of Hezbollah’s most senior leaders, was killed in one of its air strikes outside Beirut, Lebanon, three weeks ago. Safieddine was widely expected to become the group’s next leader after the death of its chief Hassan Nasrallah on September 27.
According to Israel, he was killed in early October in a strike that also killed 25 other Hezbollah leaders, leaving the group in disarray. This is the latest in a spate of killings. On October 16, Israel confirmed that its military killed Hamas’ top leader Yahya Sinwar in a battle with its forces in Gaza. “We have reached Nasrallah, his replacement and most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership,” the Israeli army’s chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said in a statement late on October 22 after the confirmation of Safieddine’s death. There was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah about his fate following the air strike.
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The Beirut suburb where Safieddine was killed was battered by a series of fresh airstrikes on October 22, including one that levelled a building, which Israel said housed Hezbollah facilities. The air strikes came 40 minutes after Israel issued an evacuation warning for two buildings in the area that it said were used by Hezbollah. A Hezbollah press conference that was happening nearby was cut short, and an Associated Press photographer captured an image of a missile heading towards the building moments before it was destroyed. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Hezbollah’s chief spokesman, Mohammed Afif, said the group was behind the drone attack on Netanyahu’s home on October 19 in the coastal town of Caesarea. Israel has said neither the Prime Minister nor his wife were home at the time of the attack.
Who was Hashem Safieddine?
A distant cousin of Nasrallah, Safieddine was appointed to Hezbollah’s Jihad Council—the body responsible for its military operations—and to its executive council, which oversees its financial and administrative affairs. He was a key figure in Hezbollah’s leadership, a member of the group’s ruling Shura Council, and had strong connections with Iran (having studied in Qom, one of its holiest cities). His family ties to Iran deepened when his son married the daughter of General Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Quds Force, who was killed in a 2020 US drone strike. Bearing the title of “Sayyed,” marked by his black turban, Safieddine was recognised as a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, just as Hassan Nasrallah had been.
Unlike Nasrallah, who had remained in hiding for years, Safieddine regularly attended political and religious events, where he often shifted from a calm demeanour to passionate speeches, especially at funerals of Hezbollah fighters killed in the ongoing conflict with Israel. Over the past year, he assumed a more prominent role within the organisation, addressing funerals and other events that Nasrallah had been unable to attend for security reasons.
He had been unaccounted for since October 4, when Israeli forces launched a series of attacks aimed at him, Hezbollah officials previously stated. A prominent cleric with close ties to Nasrallah and Iran, Safieddine was seen as the “most likely” candidate to succeed Nasrallah, following the latter’s death. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had hinted at Safieddine’s death in an October 8 speech, without naming him directly. In an address, Netanyahu claimed Israeli forces had eliminated “thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah and his successors”.
Israel’s growing foothold
Israeli strikes have been pummelling Lebanon’s south, eastern Bekaa Valley, and southern suburbs of Beirut—all Hezbollah strongholds. The group’s fighters have been trying to push back Israeli ground incursions. Israel, for its part, has so far shown no sign of relenting in its efforts in Gaza and Lebanon. Diplomats say Israel aims to lock in a strong position before a new US administration takes over following the November 5, 2024, election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Israel’s confirmation of Safieddine’s death came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday to capitalise on the killing of Hamas’ leader Yahya Sinwar by securing the release of the October 7 attack hostages and ending the war in Gaza. On his 11th trip to the region, since the war broke out, Blinken said that Sinwar’s death will provide a new opportunity for peace.
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“The Secretary underscored the need to capitalise on Israel’s successful action to bring Yahya Sinwar to justice by securing the release of all hostages and ending the conflict in Gaza in a way that provides lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” the US State Department said in a statement on the Jerusalem meetings.
Following the announcement, Blinken travelled to Tel Aviv. Speaking to reporters there, he said, “Israel has achieved most of its strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza, all with the idea of making sure October 7 can never happen again.” He added, “It has managed to dismantle Hamas’ military capacity and destroy much of its arsenal. This has come at a cost—a great cost—to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded tens of thousands, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were combatants but say more than half were women and children. It has also caused major devastation and displaced around 90 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
With inputs from agencies
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