Hashem Safieddine has been recently targeted as a possible successor of Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader. His whereabouts are unknown after an Israeli raid on Beirut because Hezbollah allegedly said they lost track of him after the attack. The strike is thought to have been aimed at Safieddine, although his fate is unknown.
Safieddine was born in 1964 in south Lebanon making him a maternal cousin of Nasrallah. Both men were educated in Iran in early 80s building strong relationships with the leadership of Iran. Like Nasrallah, Safieddine is an anti-Israel and anti-western policies oratory personality. He has headed Hezbollah’s political decision-making body – the executive council, for political affairs and is part of the Hezbollah military council known as the Jihad council.
Safieddine’s standing within Hezbollah has risen in the last few years because of his relations with Iran’s IRGC. He knew the late Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike in January 2020. His son is even married to Soleimani’s daughter, this making him even closer to the Iranian leadership.
Over the years, Safieddine has not been shy of condemning the U.S. labelling Washington as an aggressor that destabilises the Middle East and supporting Israel’s aggression on the Palestinians. In 2017 the USA classified him as a foreign terrorist due to his involvement in Hezbollah’s operations and relations with Iran.
And the future of Safieddine as a potential leader in the face of mounting pressure and scrutiny on Hezbollah will determine the future course of the group. If he succeeds Nasrallah his leadership would probably follow the same pattern as Hezbollah remaining hostile towards Israel and the West and continuing to keep strong relations with Iran.
Credits: CNN
