Israel marks ‘historic turning point’ in Lebanon with Nasrallah's death, Hezbollah seeks leader
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah a ‘historic turning point’ after the Israeli army bombed Beirut, targeting the headquarters of the pro-Iranian party and armed group.
The blow to the Shiite militia (a branch of Islam of which the Islamic Republic of Iran is the main standard-bearer in the Middle East) has been devastating, as other leaders of the Lebanese extremist group were also killed, such as Ali Karki, commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front, Hassan Khalil Yassine, a senior member of the group's intelligence, and Nabil Qaouk, a member of Hezbollah's Central Council.
On Friday night into Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) carried out a strike operation against Hezbollah's headquarters in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh. The centre was located under residential buildings, which for the IDF again demonstrated that the pro-Iranian militia continues to use the population as human shields and civilian infrastructure as warehouses and arms depots, something denied by the Lebanese extremist group.
The attack was carried out by Israeli Air Force fighter jets, which launched a precision bombing raid on Hezbollah's headquarters, following planning by the IDF and Israeli intelligence services.
Following Israel's announcement of Hassan Nasrallah's death, confirmation came from Hezbollah, which vowed revenge, as did Iran, its close ally. ‘His Eminence, the Master of the Resistance, the righteous servant, has passed away to be with his Lord,’ the Lebanese Shi'ite armed group said in a statement. ‘Hassan Nasrallah will no longer terrorise the world,’ the IDF said on social media.
Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of a ‘historic turning point’ with this operation in Lebanon. The Israeli prime minister called Hassan Nasrallah a ‘mass murderer’ and said his country had ‘settled accounts’ with those responsible for the deaths of ‘countless Israelis’ and foreigners.
According to the Lebanese authorities, the Israeli bombing killed 11 people, while 108 others were wounded. Israel's attacks on Beirut continued on Saturday, leaving 33 dead and 195 wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Israel is continuing its massive attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah in clashes that have been intensified following the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israeli territory that left around 1,200 people dead and 250 kidnapped; attacks that provoked a harsh Israeli response with continued attacks on the Gaza Strip, ruled by the Palestinian extremist group, that have already left tens of thousands dead. This situation has also triggered a response against the Israeli state from other actors such as Iran or pro-Iranian Shi'a groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen.
Iran against Israel
Iran also denounced the ‘heinous crime’ of the harsh Israeli attack against the pro-Iranian Lebanese militia allied with Hezbollah and announced retaliatory and diplomatic actions against Israel, a historic enemy of the Islamic Republic in the region.
The Ayatollahs' regime was also greatly affected by the Israeli offensive in Lebanon because one of the generals of the Revolutionary Guards, the elite corps of the Iranian army, was also killed by the Israeli bombardment of Beirut, namely the deputy commander of operations of the Revolutionary Guards Ground Force, Brigadier General Abbas Nilforushan.
Several members of the Revolutionary Guard have been killed in recent months in Middle Eastern countries, including seven, including three generals, at the Iranian Consulate in Damascus in April in an attack blamed on Israel. In response to this attack, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in mid-April, the first time Tehran directly attacked Israeli territory, in an offensive that caused virtually no significant damage.
In the face of the latest growing tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, Tehran began to take ‘defensive’ measures, such as the Cyber Defence Organisation, which announced that the alert status had been raised to ‘red’ in anticipation of Israeli cyber-attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
Nasrallah's possible successor
Following the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the search is on for a successor to lead Hezbollah. The figure of Hashem Safi Al-Din, head of the party's Executive Council and Lebanese armed militia, the most important and decision-making body of the Shiite group, appears here.
Nasrallah's successor is sought to resemble him in his image and in the content of his political arguments in order to maintain influence over the followers of the party and armed militia.
Safi Al-Din prepared himself ‘visually’ to succeed Nasrallah in case he is attacked, as he is a teacher and bears a strong resemblance to Nasrallah. In many cases, photographers and some journalists did not differentiate between them. It is clear that Hezbollah and Iran want Nasrallah's successor to be quite similar in form and content in order to maintain that influence.
Hashem Safi Al-Din enjoys a close relationship with Iran. A source close to Hezbollah notes that Safi Al-Din looks very much like Nasrallah in appearance, making him the ‘most likely candidate’ for the vacant post, as reported by Al-Arab media.
Hezbollah's Executive Council is composed of seven members, including Safi Al-Din. Pending the council's next meeting, it is assumed that Hezbollah's current deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem, will assume the duties of secretary general, as an automatic measure after the vacuum left by Nasrallah's assassination.
Safi al-Din had a close relationship with Nasrallah and is four years younger than him, aged 60. He also bears a strong resemblance, wearing a black turban and a similar beard.
Safi Al-Din completed his religious studies in Qom, Iran, and his son is married to Zainab Soleimani, daughter of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2020.
Safi Al-Din has been the subject of US Treasury sanctions since 2017, as have many party leaders listed as terrorists. The Treasury describes him as ‘an important leader of Hezbollah and a key member of its Executive Council’.
Amal Saad, a professor at Cardiff University and an expert on Hezbollah affairs, told AFP that ‘for years, Safi Al-Din has been reported as the most likely candidate to take over the leadership’ following the death of Hassan Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for 32 years.
Israel also points to Hashem Safi Al-Din as Hassan Nasrallah's successor, as reported by Al-Ain media.
Safi Al-Din is the man responsible for the entire Hezbollah ‘civilian state’, and under him are the civilian organs that parallel the Lebanese state apparatus and strengthen the Shia base. These bodies include the Islamic Health Organisation (Hezbollah's independent Ministry of Health), Jihad Al-Bina (Hezbollah's independent Ministry of Housing) and other educational, sports, social and economic welfare bodies, as reported by the Israeli Army, which also announced that Safi Al-Din had become an Israeli military target.