Israel taking out Hezbollah chiefs one by one; Nasrallah's successor Hashem Safieddine killed in air strike

BEIRUT: Israel has killed Hashem Safieddine, who was presumed to be the successor to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. It is learnt that Hashem, who was in the bunker, was killed in an air strike in Beirut yesterday. Israel has killed Hezbollah's new leader less than a week after Nasrallah was killed.

Hashem Safieddine was a close relative of Nasrallah. He was known as the right-hand man of Nasrallah. He was serving as the head of Hezbollah's executive council. He also had close ties with Iran. Hashem's son Reza Hashim is married to Zeinab Soleimani, the daughter of General Qasem Soleimani, Iran's top military commander. Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike on January 3, 2020.

Hashem was born in 1964 in southern Lebanon. After completing his studies in Iran, he started working actively with Hezbollah in 1994. Hashem is considered to be one of the founders of Hezbollah. His resemblance to Nasrallah also made him famous. Hashem was designated a terrorist by the US in 2017. He was blacklisted by Saudi Arabia.

The killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine is regarded as one of Israel's biggest achievements since the start of the Gaza War. In the past one month, Israel has eliminated most of Hezbollah's top executives, including Nasrallah, who has been on the hit list for years.