In a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, the presumed successor to the group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Netanyahu’s statement, released on Tuesday, confirmed that Safieddine was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike last week. The strike targeted a meeting of senior Hezbollah leaders, believed to have been attended by Safieddine, in Lebanon. While reports of Safieddine’s presence at the time of the strikes surfaced last week, his death was not formally announced until Netanyahu’s confirmation.
Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, was a founding member of Hezbollah and held a number of key positions within the organization. He was promoted to Hezbollah’s Consultative Assembly in 1995 and shortly after appointed head of the group’s military activities, according to The New York Times. In 1998, he ascended to the leadership of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, a position previously held by Nasrallah before he became the group’s overall chief.
The United States designated Safieddine as a terrorist in 2017, citing his role in overseeing Hezbollah’s “political, organizational, social, and educational activities,” and his potential to carry out acts of terrorism that could threaten U.S. national security.
This assassination marks the latest in a series of targeted strikes against Hezbollah leadership by Israel. Over the past month, Israel has launched a sustained campaign against Hezbollah, decimating its leadership and significantly diminishing its war-making capabilities. These strikes included some of the most intensive bombardments witnessed in decades, alongside a ground invasion of Lebanon, with the objective of pushing Hezbollah away from the border region between Israel and Lebanon.
