Who is Hashem Safieddine, Hassan Nasrallah's possible successor?

Following the announcement of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah's death in an Israeli Occupation airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, questions surrounding his successor have intensified after his 32-year leadership of the Iranian-backed group.

Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah's cousin and son-in-law of the late Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, is the leading candidate. He has long been groomed to succeed Nasrallah, having led Hezbollah’s executive council and overseeing the group's financial and institutional operations.

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Safieddine, listed as a terrorist by the US since 2017, maintains close ties with both Hezbollah’s military and executive wings. Having spent years studying in Qom, Iran, Safieddine shares Nasrallah’s ideological alignment, including strong support for Iran’s Wilayat al-Faqih doctrine.

Speculation over his leadership has grown as Nasrallah’s increasing security concerns have propelled Safieddine into the public eye in recent years, especially in Hezbollah’s military campaigns in Syria and beyond. Safieddine’s leadership would likely continue Hezbollah’s strategic direction, maintaining close ties with Tehran while supporting regional resistance movements.

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