The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed that Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut earlier this month. Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s executive council, was considered the likely successor to Hassan Nasrallah after his death in September, according to The Times of Israel. The IDF stated that Safieddine was Nasrallah’s cousin.
During the airstrike on October 4, Safieddine was killed alongside Hussein Ali Hazima, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters. The strike specifically targeted Hezbollah’s underground intelligence headquarters in Beirut, located “in the heart of a civilian population” in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital, as per the Israeli army.
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According to the IDF, over 25 members of Hezbollah’s intelligence division, including top commanders, were present at the headquarters during the attack. Safieddine had been out of contact since the strike, but the IDF has now confirmed his death, though Hezbollah has not yet released a statement acknowledging it. In 2017, the US State Department designated Hashem Safieddine as a terrorist.
In a statement shared on X, the IDF said, “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.”
The statement added, “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.”
On September 28, the IDF confirmed the killing of Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike carried out by Israeli forces in Beirut. In a statement, the IDF said, “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.”
Nasrallah was targeted at Hezbollah’s main headquarters in Dahiyeh, a stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The underground headquarters is situated beneath residential buildings in the area, according to the IDF.
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