According to Israeli sources, a Hezbollah official who was considered the future leader of the terrorist organization was killed in an air raid on southern Beirut in early October.
The Israeli military announced on Tuesday that the dead man was Hashim Safi al-Din, an influential cleric. He was reportedly to succeed Hassan Nasrallah as head of Hezbollah, who was also killed in an Israeli air raid in September. Hezbollah has not yet commented on the matter.
Important role in Hezbollah hierarchy
According to Hezbollah circles, Hashim Safi al-Din, a cousin of Nasrallah, was “the most likely candidate” to succeed him at the head of the militia.
According to the Israeli military, Safi al-Din was one of the most important members of the so-called Shura Council, the highest-ranking military-political body of Hezbollah. This is responsible for decision-making and the political design of the terrorist organization. When Nasrallah was not in Lebanon, Safi al-Din took on the role of Secretary General of Hezbollah and directed terrorist attacks against Israel.
Close ties to Iran
Safi al-Din maintained close religious ties to Iran, Hezbollah’s protecting power in Lebanon. He studied Islam in the holy Iranian city of Qom. He also had family ties to Iran: his son is married to the daughter of the powerful Iranian general Kassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020.
The US and Saudi Arabia classified Hashim Safi al-Din as a wanted “terrorist” in 2017. The US Treasury Department described him as a “senior leader” of Hezbollah and a “key member” of its executive branch.
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