Israel can’t confirm death of Hashem Safieddine, spokesperson says

07 October 2024 , 14:43

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Hashem Safieddine speaks during the funeral procession of a Hezbollah senior commander. Photograph: Bilal Hussein/AP

Israel does not have confirmation that the potential successor to the former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has died, a government spokesperson said.

Asked if Israel could confirm the death of Hashem Safieddine, who chairs Hezbollah’s executive council, spokesperson David Mencer told an online briefing:

We don’t have that confirmation yet. When it is confirmed, as and when, it will be on the IDF (Israeli military) website.

Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, was killed by Israel in a series of strikes on the group’s underground headquarters in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, in late September.

Another similar strike reportedly killed Safieddine in the area, though this has not been confirmed. A cousin of Nasrallah, Safieddine was born in 1964 in southern Lebanon and is another founder member.

James Turner