1. On 3 October 2024, Hashem Safieddine was targeted by an Israeli airstrike in Dahieh, south of Beirut.
19 Facts About Hashem Safieddine
1. 2.
Hashem Safieddine was born in 1964 in Deir Qanoun En Nahr, southern Lebanon, to a respected Shia family.
3.
Hashem Safieddine was a maternal first cousin of Hassan Nasrallah.
4.
Hashem Safieddine was the brother of Abdallah Safieddine, a key Hezbollah operative based in Tehran.
5.
Hashem Safieddine studied theology in Najaf, Iraq and Qom, Iran, together with Nasrallah, until he was recalled to Lebanon by Hassan Nasrallah in 1994, and was groomed by Nasrallah as a successor ever since.
6.
In 1995, Hashem Safieddine was promoted to the Majlis al-Shura, the highest council in Hezbollah, after which he operated under Imad Mughniyeh, until the latter's assassination in 2008.
7.
Until Nasrallah's assassination on 27 September 2024, Hashem Safieddine was among the three top leaders of Hezbollah, alongside Nasrallah and Naim Qassem.
8.
In 2006, Hashem Safieddine was cited as a possible successor to Nasrallah for the post of Secretary-General of Hezbollah.
9.
Hashem Safieddine was one of six clerics who were members of the Shura Council of Hezbollah.
10.
Hashem Safieddine was the head of the executive council of the group, known as Shura Tanfiziyah, to which he was elected in the general assembly meeting in July 2001.
11.
Hashem Safieddine was one of nine members of the deciding consultative council, which is the top body of the group.
12.
In October 2008, Hashem Safieddine was elected to succeed Nasrallah as secretary general of Hezbollah in the general meeting.
13.
Hashem Safieddine was considered the "number two" figure in the organization.
14.
In 2009, Hashem Safieddine was again elected to the Shura Council.
15.
In May 2017, Hashem Safieddine was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of State.
16.
Hashem Safieddine was designated as a terrorist by Saudi Arabia.
17.
Hashem Safieddine was recognized for his similarity to Nasrallah in both appearance and manner of speaking, and for his strong ties with the Iranian regime and the Ayatollah.
18.
Hashem Safieddine's remains were secretly buried in a temporary location before his official funeral ceremony in Beirut on 23 February 2025.
19.
Hashem Safieddine was buried in Deir Qanoun En Nahr the next day.