Hashem Safieddine. Photo: AFP
Hashem Safieddine, the top Hezbollah official widely anticipated to succeed the slain secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli attack, the group announced on Wednesday. Hezbollah confirmed that Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Safieddine had been managing Hezbollah alongside its deputy secretary general Naim Qassem since Nasrallah's assassination and was expected to be formally elected as its next secretary general, although no official announcement had been made yet. A relative of Nasrallah, Safieddine had been a member of the group's Jihad Council - the body responsible for its military operations. He was also the head of its executive council, overseeing Hezbollah's financial and administrative matters. Safieddine took on a significant role speaking on behalf of Hezbollah during the year of hostilities with Israel that ultimately led to his death, addressing funerals and other events that Nasrallah had long been unable to attend for security reasons. His killing further diminishes the group's top leadership as Israeli strikes target Lebanon's south, eastern Bekaa Valley, and southern suburbs of Beirut - all Hezbollah strongholds - and the group's fighters attempt to counter Israeli ground incursions.
Source link: https://www.khaleejtimes.com
