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Hashem Safieddine

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Hashem Safieddine
هاشم صفي الدين‎
Safieddine in 2020
Head of Hezbollah's Executive Council
In office
July 2001 (2001-07) – 3 October 2024 (2024-10-03)
Personal details
Born1964 (1964)
Deir Qanoun En Nahr, Lebanon
Diedc. 3 October 2024(2024-10-03) (aged 59–60)
Dahieh, Lebanon
Manner of deathAssassination by airstrike
Political partyHezbollah
SpouseRaeda Faqih
Relatives

Hashem Safieddine (Arabic: هاشم صفي الدين, romanized: Hāshim Ṣafī al-Dīn; 1964 – c. 3 October 2024) was a Lebanese Shia cleric who served as the head of Hezbollah's Executive Council from 2001 until his assassination in 2024. A maternal cousin of Hassan Nasrallah, Safieddine was generally considered the "number two" in Hezbollah for many years. In 2017, he was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States and was also designated as a terrorist by several of the Arab Gulf states. Following Nasrallah's assassination on 27 September 2024, during the Israel–Hezbollah conflict, Safieddine was widely considered his likely successor. On 3 October 2024, Safieddine was targeted by an Israeli airstrike in Dahieh, south of Beirut. His death in the strike was confirmed later that month.

Early life

Safieddine was born in 1964 in Deir Qanoun En Nahr, southern Lebanon, to a respected Shia family.[1] His name is also rendered as Safi al-Din.[1][2] He was a maternal first cousin of Hassan Nasrallah.[3][4] He was the brother of Abdallah Safieddine,[5] a key Hezbollah figure based in Tehran.[6]

Safieddine studied theology in Najaf, Iraq, and in Qom, Iran, together with Nasrallah,[7] until he was recalled to Lebanon by Hassan Nasrallah in 1994,[8] and had been groomed by Nasrallah as a successor ever since.[9][10]

Career

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In 1995, Safieddine was promoted to the Majlis al-Shura (Consultative Assembly), the highest council in Hezbollah,[8] after which he operated under Imad Mughniyeh, until the latter's assassination in 2008. He was also appointed head of the Jihad Council.[8] The Executive Council, of which he was president, oversees Hezbollah's political, social, and educational activities.[11][12]

Until Nasrallah's assassination on 27 September 2024, Safieddine was among the three major leaders of Hezbollah. The other two were Hassan Nasrallah and Naim Qassem.[13] He was regarded as second only to Nasrallah.[7]

In 2006, Safieddine was reportedly promoted by Iran as a possible successor to Hassan Nasrallah for the post of Secretary-General of Hezbollah.[8][14]

Safieddine was one of six clerics who were members of the Shura Council of Hezbollah.[15] He was the head of the executive council of the group, also known as Shura Tanfiziyah,[16] to which he was elected in the general assembly meeting in July 2001.[17][18] He was one of nine members of the deciding consultative council (Shura al-Qarar), which is the top body of the group.[19]

In October 2008, Safieddine was elected to succeed Nasrallah as secretary general of Hezbollah in the general meeting.[20][21] He was considered the "number two" figure in the organization.[22][23] His appointment as heir apparent to Nasrallah was supported by Iranians.[19] In 2009, Safieddine was again elected to the Shura Council.[24] In November 2010, he was appointed Hezbollah's military commander of the Southern Lebanon region.[25]

In May 2017, Safieddine was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. Department of State.[11][26][11][27] He was also designated as a terrorist by Saudi Arabia.[28] In May 2018, Safieddine and nine other senior Hezbollah figures (including Nasrallah and Naim Qassem) were sanctioned by the U.S. and several of its Arab allies (including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain).[29] In 2020, the U.S. sanctioned two Lebanon-based companies, Arch Consulting and Meamar Construction, which are both subordinate to the Executive Council of Hezbollah,[30] receive guidance and direction from Safieddine and Sultan Khalifah As'ad,[31][32][33] and are accused of concealing money transfers to the accounts of Hezbollah leadership, "while the Lebanese people suffer from inadequate services".[30][33]

After Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah's headquarters in September 2024, Safieddine was widely expected to be named as his successor.[34][6] He was recognized for his similarity to Nasrallah in both appearance and manner of speaking,[4] and for his strong ties with the Iranian regime and the Ayatollah.[27] In the immediate aftermath of Nasrallah's death, the Saudi news outlets Al Arabiya and AlHadath reported that Safieddine had been officially designated as his successor, although Hezbollah denied this via Telegram.[35] Although Qassem was formally Hezbollah's acting leader, after Nasrallah's death, Safieddine assumed control over the organization.[6]

Assassination

Main article: Assassination of Hashem Safieddine

On the night of 3 October 2024, an Israeli Air Force strike targeted Safieddine at a location in Dahieh, a Beirut suburb that is a Hezbollah stronghold.[36][2][37][38] The airstrike targeted an underground bunker[38] at which Hezbollah intelligence chief Hussein Hazimah ("Mortada") was also believed to be located. Hezbollah said that they had lost contact with Saffiedine ever since and that he was missing.[2][39][40]

Several days after the attack, his death in the strike was announced by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and later Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[41][42] On 22 October 2024, the IDF confirmed the killings of Safieddine, Hazimah, and other senior Hezbollah members.[43][44] The IDF said his body had been found.[43][45][46] Hezbollah acknowledged his death the next day.[6]

Personal life

Safieddine was married to Raeda Faqih. In June 2020, their eldest son, Reza, married Zeinab Soleimani, the youngest daughter of the Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani, who had been killed by an American drone strike in Iraq in January of that year.[47][48]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Senior Hezbollah figure Hashem Safi al-Din publicly stated Hezbollah participates in the campaign in south Syria". Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 29 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Barak Ravid (3 October 2024). "Israel targets potential Hezbollah successor in Beirut airstrike". Axios.
  3. ^ Ahmad Rafat (7 July 2020). "A Marriage of Convenience Bolsters Iran's Mideast Presence". Kayhan Life. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b Daou, Marc (1 October 2024). "'Easy' choice: Hezbollah's likely new leader is Nasrallah's cousin, Hashem Safieddine". France 24. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Treasury Targets Key Hizballah Financing Network and Iranian Conduit". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "Top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine is dead". Associated Press. 23 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Sayyed Nasrallah re-elected for another term". The Weekly Middle East Reporter. 5 December 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d David A. Daoud (4 June 2017). "State Department Blacklists Hashem Saffiedine". Long War Journal. Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017.
  9. ^ Stephanie Rady. "Who is Hashem Safieddine, potential new leader of Hezbollah?". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  10. ^ Avon, Dominique; Khatchadourian, Anaïs-Trissa; Avon, Dominique (2012). Hezbollah: a history of the "party of god". Cambridge, Mass. London: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-06752-3.
  11. ^ a b c "State Department Terrorist Designations of Hashem Safieddine and Muhammad al-Isawi". United States Department of State. 19 May 2017.
  12. ^ John Davison (21 May 2017). Mark Potter (ed.). "Hezbollah calls U.S. administration 'mentally impeded' during Trump Saudi visit". Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019. Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, president of the Iran-backed Shi'ite group's executive council, said Washington would not be able to do any real harm to Hezbollah.
  13. ^ "IRGC-Hezbollah Captagon Ring Compromised by War Over Profits". Middle East Transparent. 27 April 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  14. ^ Shmuel Bar (29 October 2006). "Lebanese Hizballah – Political, Ideological and Organizational Highlights" (PDF). National Defense University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2017. According to reports from Iran, the Iranians have already appointed him the head of the Executive Council and Nassrallah's cousin as his successor
  15. ^ Barry Rubin, ed. (2010). Guide to Islamist Movements. New York; London: M.E. Sharpe. p. 329. ISBN 978-0-7656-1747-7.
  16. ^ Dominique Avon; Anaïs-Trissa Khatchadourian; Jane Marie Todd (2012). Hezbollah: A History of the "Party of God". Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-674-06752-3.
  17. ^ Ahmad Nizar Hamzeh (2004). In The Path of Hizbullah. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-8156-3053-1.
  18. ^ "Hezbollah (part I)" (PDF). Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. July 2003. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  19. ^ a b Shmuel Bar (29 October 2006). "Lebanese Hizballah – Political, Ideological and Organizational Highlights" (PDF). Center for Complex Operations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  20. ^ Dudi Cohen (13 October 2008). "Nasrallah replacement chosen". Ynetnews. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  21. ^ "Kuwaiti daily reports extension of Nasrallah mandate". Now Lebanon. 1 November 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  22. ^ Tal Beeri (8 June 2022). "Hashem Safi al-Din – Head of Hezbollah's Executive Council (and Hassan Nasrallah's Designated Successor?)". Alma Research and Education Center. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  23. ^ "Lebanon: Hezbollah's Rising Star". Stratfor. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  24. ^ Shimon Shapira (17 December 2009). "Has Hizbullah Changed?" (PDF). Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  25. ^ Larbi Sadiki (21 June 2011). "Hezbollah and the Arab revolution". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  26. ^ "Hashem Safieddine, Hezbollah's new leader?". Reuters.
  27. ^ a b "Who is Hashem Safieddine, Hassan Nasrallah's potential successor?". Hindustan Times.
  28. ^ "Saudi Arabia blacklists Hezbollah's Hashem Safieddine". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  29. ^ Zeina Karam; Bassem Mroue (15 November 2018). "Militant or poet? US sanctions Hezbollah leader's son". Associated Press. Beirut. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  30. ^ a b Daphne Psaledakis. "U.S. blacklists Hezbollah official, Lebanon-based companies". Reuters.
  31. ^ "US imposes sanctions on businesses in Lebanon with links to Hezbollah". Arab News. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  32. ^ "Treasury Targets Hizballah Executive Council Companies and Official". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  33. ^ a b "US sanctions Hezbollah-linked companies and official, Iranian cyber actors". Jewish News Syndicate.
  34. ^ "Hashem Safieddine: possible successor to Hezbollah chief Nasrallah". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  35. ^ "Hezbollah denies choosing Hashem Safieddine as Nasrallah replacement". The Jerusalem Post/Reuters. 30 September 2024.
  36. ^ Christou, William; Beaumont, Peter (4 October 2024). "Israel launches intense attacks on Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut's south". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024.
  37. ^ David Gritten, Massive blasts in Beirut after renewed Israeli air strikes, BBC News (4 October 2024).
  38. ^ a b IAF strike in Beirut targets possible Nasrallah successor, Jewish News Syndicate (4 October 2024).
  39. ^ "Hezbollah loses contact with senior leader Hashem Safieddine: Sources". Al Jazeera. 5 October 2024. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024.
  40. ^ Qiblawi, Tamara (5 October 2024). "Hezbollah has lost contact with possible Nasrallah successor, source says". CNN. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  41. ^ Spencer, Richard (8 October 2024). "Hezbollah successor was killed in airstrike, says Netanyahu". The Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024.
  42. ^ Mackenzie, James; Gabeily, Maya (8 October 2024). "Israel says it has killed slain Hezbollah leader's successors". Reuters.
  43. ^ a b Grylls, George (22 October 2024). "Hashem Safieddine: Israel kills Hezbollah heir to Nasrallah". The Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2024.
  44. ^ "Israel confirms 'eliminating' Hashem Safieddine, potential successor of slain Hezbollah chief Nasrallah". Arab News. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  45. ^ Ari, Lior Ben (22 October 2024). "IDF confirms Nasrallah's designated successor dead". Ynetnews. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  46. ^ "IDF confirms death of top Hezbollah leader; Blinken meets with Netanyahu". The Washington Post. 23 October 2024. Archived from the original on 23 October 2024.
  47. ^ "Who is Hashem Safieddine, Hassan Nasrallah's Potential Successor?". Daraj. 1 October 2024. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024.
  48. ^ Siegal, Tobias (29 June 2020). "Soleimani's daughter marries Hezbollah leader Nasrallah's cousin". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 9 July 2020.
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