Safieddine, head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, is seen as the next in line to lead the organization following Nasrallah's reported death in an Israeli strike on Friday. He has managed Hezbollah’s civilian operations for decades and is said to have survived the attack on the group’s underground bunker in Beirut’s Dahieh district, according to Ynet news reports.
Designated as Nasrallah’s successor since the 1990s, Safieddine was brought back to Beirut from his studies in Iran to lead Hezbollah’s Executive Council just two years after Nasrallah assumed leadership. He is also related by marriage to Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Quds Force, who was killed by a U.S. strike in 2020.
Since 2017, Safieddine has been responsible for Hezbollah’s education system, finances, and foreign investments, while leaving military and strategic decisions to Nasrallah. He has maintained close ties with Tehran and supports the Iranian regime, with his brother Abdullah serving as Hezbollah’s envoy to Iran.
Born in 1964 in a village near Tyre, Safieddine comes from a prominent family of clerics. Throughout the current conflict, he has represented Nasrallah at public events, including the funerals of senior Hezbollah members believed to have been killed in Israeli attacks.
"The wounded will return to their Jihad," Safieddine stated at a recent event, adding, "If the enemy's goal is to halt support for Gaza, it must know that it will only grow."