The IDF announced today that Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut earlier this month. Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s executive council, was considered the likely successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The IDF confirmed that Safieddine, along with Hussein Ali Hazima, the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence division, was killed during an airstrike on October 4. The strike targeted Hezbollah’s underground intelligence headquarters, located in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut, a southern suburb that serves as a stronghold for the terror group.

The military also reported that more than 25 members of Hezbollah’s intelligence division, including other top commanders, were present at the headquarters when the airstrike took place.

Safieddine had been missing since the attack, but the IDF only confirmed his death today. Hezbollah has not yet officially announced his death.

A cousin of Nasrallah, Safieddine was a prominent figure within Hezbollah and was designated a terrorist by the U.S. State Department in 2017. Like Nasrallah, Safieddine was a cleric and wore the black turban, signifying a claim of descent from the Prophet Mohammed.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)