Hezbollah confirms Israeli strike killed Hashem Safieddine tipped to become group's next leader

Hezbollah has confirmed the cleric – Hashem Safieddine – former chief Hassan Nasrallah's cousin, tipped to become the Iran-backed group's next leader – was killed in an Israeli air strike nearly three weeks ago.

In a statement on Oct 23, Hezbollah said it was mourning Safieddine as a "great leader and a great martyr" who lived an "honourable life".

Safieddine (60), who was serving as the head of the group's executive council was killed in an Israeli air strike on September 27 this year, according to media reports.

Following Nasrallah's death in the Israeli strike last month, Safieddine assumed a prominent leadership role within the group and according to some media reports, he was expected to be formally elected as the next secretary general.

Hezbollah though had not made an official announcement prior to his death.

Pertinently, on Oct 4, the Israeli military conducted a series of air strikes near Beirut's airport, after which Hezbollah said they had lost contact with Safieddine.

After the strikes, Israeli officials were quoted as saying Safieddine was the intended target of the bombing.

Meanwhile, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed on Oct 22 that Safieddine was killed alongside Ali Hussein Hazima, whom they described as the commander of Hezbollah's Intelligence headquarters.

The IDF blamed Safieddine for orchestrating "terrorist attacks against the State of Israel" for years and participating in Hezbollah's “central decision-making processes.”

In 2017, Safieddine was labelled a "global terrorist" by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Having undertaken religious studies in Iran, Safieddine had familial ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. His son was married to the daughter of General Qasem Soleimani, the influential Iranian commander killed in a 2020 US air strike in Iraq.

In a recent speech in Beirut, Safieddine discussed Hezbollah's perspective on leadership succession, and was quoted as saying, "In our resistance, when any leader is martyred, another takes up the flag and goes on with new, certain, strong determination."

Pertinently, the Israeli military in recent weeks has ramped up its offensive against Hezbollah following nearly a year of cross-border hostilities, which escalated due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Israeli officials were recently quoted as saying that the objective was to ensure the safe return of residents displaced by Hezbollah's rocket, missile, and drone attacks.

According to Lebanon's health ministry, the ongoing conflict has had a devastating impact, with at least 2,500 Lebanese casualties and nearly 12,000 injuries reported over the past year.

In response, Hezbollah has launched thousands of rockets and drones at Israel, resulting in at least 62 deaths in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, according to media reports.