Death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah This is a significant moment for the Lebanese militant group which has seen most of its top leadership wiped out by Israel. According to a report in The Times of Israel, with Hezbollah’s operations chief Ibrahim Akil and top commander Fuad Shukr also stepping down, Nasrallah’s cousin Hashem Saffiedine is likely to become head of the Iran-backed organization.
Amid reports, it is being said that Safidin was also among those killed. attack on hezbollah headquarters In Beirut, Reuters quoted a source within the organization as saying he was alive.
Saffieddin, who was designated a terrorist by the United States in 2017, oversees Hezbollah’s political affairs and is a member of the group’s Jihad Council. He also has ties to the Iranian regime as the father-in-law of Zainab Soleimani, the daughter of slain Iranian military general Qassem Soleimani.
Who is Hashem Saffieddin?
Like Nasrallah, Saffieddin is a cleric who wears a black turban and a physical Resemblance to former Hezbollah chiefThese qualities are likely to work in Nasrallah’s favor in identifying his successor.
In addition to garnering support from Hezbollah members, the new leader must also gain approval from the organization’s supporters in Iran. Iran provides most of Hezbollah’s funding, training and weapons.
Born in Deir Qanoun al-Nahar in southern Lebanon in 1964, Saffieddine has been designated Nasrallah’s successor since the 1990s, when he was recalled to Beirut from Iran, where he was pursuing his studies. He began leading Hezbollah’s Executive Council just two years after Nasrallah assumed leadership of the organization.
Over the next 30 years, Saffieddin oversaw Hezbollah’s civilian operations, including its education system and finances. Meanwhile, Nasrallah looked after strategic matters.
Saffieddin was also blacklisted by Saudi Arabia in 2017 for working in the interest of Hezbollah and supporting the Syrian regime.
In 2020, his son Rida married Zainab, the daughter of Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad the same year. After Nasrallah went into hiding following Israeli assassination attempts in 2006, Saffiedine attended events and funerals of slain Hezbollah members in Lebanon.