Hashem Safieddine likely to be head of Hezbollah

Hashem Safieddine is a potential possible successor to his slain cousin Hassan Nasrallah, also one of Hezbollah’s most prominent figures and has deep religious and family ties to Iran.

However, Hezbollah has dismissed media reports about the appointment of a new leader for the Lebanese resistance group following the Israeli assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

“Commenting on news circulating on some media outlets about organizational procedures within Hezbollah’s leadership taken after the martyrdom of His Eminence the Secretary General [Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah]…, we are interested in clarifying that the related news is of no importance and can’t be relied upon,” the movement said in a statement.

Any reports about the movement’s structure is rejected unless an official announcement is made by Hezbollah, it noted.

The statement came as the Saudi news TV channel Al-Hadath on Sunday claimed that Hezbollah’s Shura Council has chosen Hashem Safieddine as the movement’s new leader.

Safieddine bears a striking resemblance to his charismatic maternal cousin Nasrallah but is several years his junior, aged in his late 50s or early 60s. A source close to Hezbollah said the grey-bearded, bespectacled Safied­dine was the “most likely” candidate for party’s top job.

As head of the executive council, Safieddine oversees Hezbollah’s political affairs. Safieddine’s public statements often reflect Hezbollah’s militant stance and its alignment with the Palestinian cause. At a recent event in Dahiyeh, Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs, he declared, “Our history, our guns and our rockets are with you,” in a show of solidarity with Palestinian fighters.

The United States and Saudi Arabia put Safieddine, who is a member of Hezbollah’s powerful decision-making Shura Council, on their respective lists of designated “terrorists” in 2017. The US Treasury described him as “a senior leader” in Hezbollah and “a key member” of its executive.