West Asia crisis: Israel confirms death of Nasrallah's heir apparent Sayyed Hashem Safieddine

Israel on Tuesday (Oct 22) confirmed the killing of Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, the heir apparent to slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The Israeli military in a statement said that Safieddine was killed three weeks ago in a strike in Beirut's southern neighbourhood. However, this is the first confirmation of his death, earlier the IDFsaid that Nasrallah's successor has probably been eliminated.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed last month in an Israeli attack targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.

"Anyone who threatens the security…"

In a statement, Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said: "We have reached Nasrallah, his replacement and most of Hezbollah's senior leadership. We will reach anyone who threatens the security of the civilians of the State of Israel".

The confirmation of the Hezbollah leader's death comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while on a visit to the Middle East, pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to capitalise on the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to secure the freedom of Oct 7 attack hostages, and bring an end to the war in Gaza.

Who was Sayyed Hashem Safieddine?

Sayyed Hashem Safieddine was a relative of Nasrallah. He was appointed to Hezbollah's Jihad Council, which is responsible for the group's military operations, and to the executive council — overseeing the militant group's financial and administrative affairs.

He hadbeen running the Iran-backed movement alongside its deputy secretary general Naim Qassem since Nasrallah's assassination by Israel on Sept. 27.

In 2017, the USState Department declared him a specially designated global terrorist.

During the past year, amid heightening hostilities with Israel,Safieddine had assumed a prominent role in the militant group Hezbollah. During this period he was seenaddressing funerals and other events that Nasrallah had long avoided for security reasons.

In the aftermath of the Gaza war, which was ignited by Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 — and the triggering of a parallel conflict between Hezbollah and Israel — Hashem Safieddine was the first Hezbollah official to address the situation in a public statement.

Addressinga rally in Beirut's southern suburbs the day after the attack, he announced that Hezbollah's"guns and our rockets are with you (Hamas)… Everythingwe have is with you."

(With inputs from agencies)