Hassan Nasarullah's Cousin Hashem Safieddine Likely to Replace Him as Hezbollah Chief: Reports

Beirut: Following the killing of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasarullah in an Israeli strike, Hashem Safieddine has been selected to replace him as the top leader of the Iran-backed militant group, according to media reports. Safieddine is cousin of Nasrallah who served as Hezbollah chief for 32 years.

Earlier on Saturday, media reports had surfaced claiming Safieddine had also been eliminated in Israel's bombardment in Lebanon. However, some reports quoted a source in the outfit claimed said that he was alive.

Nasrallah's Killing Major Blow to Hezbollah 

This comes in the wake of killing of Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike has left the powerful Lebanese militant group grappling in the middle of a leadership crisis. Nasrallah was killed at a Beirut suburb after Israel intensified its military attacks to target alleged terror hideouts in Lebanon.

Notably, Israeli attacks also killed Hezbollah’s operations chief Ibrahim Aqil and top commander Fuad Shukr, prompting the group to turn its attention to Hashem Safieddine. Safieddine, who reportedly survived the Israeli attack, also heads Hezbollah’s Executive Council and is a member of the group’s Jihad Council, which directs Hezbollah’s military operations.

Nasrallah's death marks a significant turn in the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.  Nasrallah’s killing is a severe blow to the militant group. Analysts believe that Hezbollah will need some time to absorb the shock and recover. Nasrallah was the successor of Abbas Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack in 1992.

In his first remarks on Saturday following Nasrallah’s death, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave no indication of how Tehran will respond but vowed revenge over his killing. Iran is the major supporter Hezbollah and other militant groups in the region, but it has largely avoided clashing directly with Israel due to domestic considerations.