'Easy' choice: Hezbollah’s likely new leader is Nasrallah's cousin, Hashem Safieddine

Marc DAOU

1 October 2024 at 2:18 pm·1-min read

Just like his cousin Hassan Nasrallah – killed in a massive Israeli air raid on Hezbollah’s headquarters in the outskirts of southern Beirut on September 27 – Hashem Safieddine wears a black turban, a prestigious Shiite symbol marking him out as a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. Safieddine, described by his opponents as aggressive and “bloodthirsty”, is widely expected to take over as Hezbollah’s new leader. And he can count on his influential brother, Abdallah Safieddine, who heads the group’s operations in Iran, to back him up.

Speculation is rife over how Hezbollah will overcome the loss of its longtime ideological and strategic leader, Hassan Nasrallah. But if there is one thing that experts do not seem to doubt, it is the name of his successor: Hashem Safieddine.

Barring an unexpected turn of events within the “Party of God” itself – or another targeted strike by the Israelis handicapping the group even further – Safieddine, Nasrallah’s cousin (their mothers are sisters) is likely to be tapped to take over as Hezbollah’s new leader, despite the fact that Naim Qassem is the group's official number two.

“The choice will be easy,” Qassem added in a televised speech later on aimed at reassuring the group’s fighters and supporters amid Hezbollah’s recent heavy losses.

He has repeatedly also said that “Israel’s fate is to disappear”.

Close ties to the Iranian regime

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Close ties to the Iranian regime

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