Meet Hezbollah’s Hashem Safieddine, Iran’s confidant and likely successor for Nasrallah
Hashem Safieddine is considered close to Hezbollah’s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah but is seen as more ruthless and less pragmatic than the late leader of the group.
BEIRUT — Following the killing of Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Hashem Safieddine, the late leader’s cousin and the group’s No. 2, has emerged as a potential successor.
Safieddine, 60, is one of the few remaining high-level commanders of Hezbollah at present, after several were killed in Israeli strikes since the cross-border hostilities erupted Oct. 8, 2023.
He was among several leaders, including Nasrallah, who were targeted in Friday's Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut. He is reported to have survived the attack.
Safieddine is now seen as a most likely heir to Nasrallah, given his seniority in the party and ties to Iran.
