Hashem Safieddine was reportedly inside Hezbollah’s underground intelligence headquarters when it was targeted by an Israeli airstrike.
Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, attended a ceremony held by the Iran-backed Shia group in Beirut's southern suburbs on May 24, 2024 [Anwar Amro/AFP].
By mahbub
Published On 5 Oct 20245 Oct 2024
Hezbollah has lost contact with senior leader Hashem Safieddine, who was considered a potential successor to the late Hassan Nasrallah, following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood, a Lebanese security source told Al Jazeera.
As chairman of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, Safieddine held a key position within the group. He is also a cousin of Nasrallah, the former secretary-general who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month, according to Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari reporting from Beirut. Safieddine’s name had come to prominence when many believed he would succeed Nasrallah.
Jabbari added that there is a "sense of urgency" from Lebanese and Hezbollah officials to allow rescue teams to retrieve bodies from the site of Friday’s attack.
The loss of contact with Safieddine raises concerns of an intelligence breach within Hezbollah, said Al Jazeera analyst Marwan Bishara, as Israel has been able to target multiple leaders in quick succession.
Nader Hashemi, a Middle East expert at Georgetown University, called the loss of Safieddine "a serious setback" for Hezbollah and speculated that the announcement of his death may follow soon.
Meanwhile, Israel's military confirmed the strike targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters, and heavy bombings continue across Lebanon as Israel focuses on its northern border. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, over 2,000 people have been killed, with 1.2 million displaced during the bombardment.
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