The Israeli military claimed to have killed Hashim Saffiddin, believed to be the successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Hassan Nasrallah was also killed in an Israeli strike last month.
According to the Israeli military (IDF), Saffiddin was killed in an airstrike three weeks ago. The IDF said Hashim Saffiddin was killed in an airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.
Hezbollah, however, has not confirmed Saffiddin’s death. Nasrallah was killed in Beirut on September 27.
Hezbollah officials said they lost contact with Saffiddin after an airstrike near Beirut airport on October 4.
On Tuesday, the IDF issued a statement saying Saffiddin was killed along with Ali Hussein Hazima.
Hazima was described as the commander of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters. The Israeli military said Hazima was killed in an attack on Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut.
The Israeli military also said Saifuddin had been carrying out “terrorist attacks on Israel” for years. He was also involved in Hezbollah’s decision-making process at the central level.
The IDF tweet said Hashim Saifuddin was the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, while Ali Hussein Hazima was the commander of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters. The Israeli military said the men were killed in Dahiya about three weeks ago.
Hashim Saifuddin was also a member of Hezbollah’s largest military-political forum, the Shura Council. This council makes political decisions within Hezbollah.
According to the Israeli military tweet, Hashim Saifuddin was Hassan Nasrallah’s cousin and had a huge influence on Hezbollah’s decision-making.
When Nasrallah was not in Lebanon, Hashim was the Secretary General of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is a military, political and social organization that has a huge influence in Lebanon.
The United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and several other countries have declared it a terrorist organization.
In 2017, Safieddine was also designated an “international terrorist” by the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Saifieddin was Nasrallah’s cousin. He received his religious education in Iran.
His son married the daughter of Iran’s most powerful military commander, General Qasim Soleimani. Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020.
Saifieddin is believed to have been in his 60s.
In a speech in Beirut this summer, Saffieddin expressed concerns about who might take over Hezbollah’s reins after his current leadership.
Saifiddin said, according to a report by the AFP news agency, “When a leader is martyred in the struggle of our resistance, another person takes up the flag and continues this journey with a determined and strong commitment.”
