IDF Confirms Death of Hezbollah’s Presumed Leader Hashem Safieddine in October Airstrike

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Tuesday that Hashem Safieddine, a top Hezbollah official and presumed successor to Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month. Safieddine, who headed Hezbollah’s executive council, was killed alongside Hussein Ali Hazima, the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence division, during a targeted strike on October 4 in Beirut.

The strike, which hit Hezbollah’s underground intelligence headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh, also killed over 25 members of the group’s intelligence division, according to the IDF. The facility was located in a densely populated civilian area, a known tactic of Hezbollah to shield military operations from retaliation.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi confirmed the operation, saying, “We reached [Hassan] Nasrallah, his replacement, and most of Hezbollah’s leadership. We will know how to reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens.”

Safieddine, designated as a terrorist by the U.S. State Department in 2017, was a close relative of Nasrallah and seen as his most likely successor. He had been playing an increasingly prominent role in Hezbollah over the past year, particularly in military and public leadership positions.

In the days following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, Safieddine voiced Hezbollah’s solidarity with Gaza, signaling Hezbollah’s military support against Israel. Since then, Hezbollah-led forces have escalated their attacks on Israel’s northern border, resulting in deadly clashes and widespread evacuations.

The ongoing conflict has taken a heavy toll on both sides. The IDF reports that over 1,500 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since the start of the fighting, while Hezbollah has acknowledged the deaths of 516 members, though this figure has not been consistently updated. The conflict has also claimed the lives of 29 Israeli civilians and 45 IDF soldiers, including those involved in cross-border skirmishes and the ground operation in southern Lebanon.

The death of Safieddine is seen as a significant blow to Hezbollah’s leadership as the group continues its near-daily attacks on Israel, raising the stakes in the broader regional conflict.

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