Who will take Hezbollah’s helm after Hassan Nasrallah?

Shafaq News/ After Hezbollah officially announced the assassination of its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the party’s command headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburb on Friday, questions have arisen about who will succeed him after his 32-year leadership.

With the Israeli military having eliminated many Hezbollah leaders since the outbreak of the conflict, speculation is mounting over the next potential leader.

Hashem Safi al-Din

According to analysts, Hashem Safi al-Din, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council and widely considered the second most powerful figure in the organization, is seen as the leading candidate to succeed Nasrallah.

Safi al-Din, Nasrallah’s cousin and the brother-in-law of the late Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, is known for his close resemblance to Nasrallah in appearance and speech, even sharing his distinctive speech impediment.

Born in 1964 in Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr, a town in southern Lebanon, Safi al-Din, like Nasrallah, pursued his religious studies in Najaf and Qom. He was among the founding members of Hezbollah in 1982.

In 1994, he was summoned back to Lebanon to lead the party’s Executive Council, succeeding Nasrallah, who had become Hezbollah's Secretary-General two years earlier following Israel’s assassination of Abbas al-Moussawi. Safi al-Din has been groomed for Nasrallah’s succession since that time.

For over three decades, Safi al-Din handled Hezbollah’s "sensitive" files, leaving the strategic matters to Nasrallah. He also oversaw the work of the party’s former military commander, Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in a car bombing in Damascus on February 12, 2008.

Although he spent years operating behind the scenes, the increased security restrictions on Nasrallah have pushed Safi al-Din into a more prominent role.

According to Iranian media, Safi al-Din’s son married Qasem Soleimani’s daughter. In a similar connection, Zaynab Mughniyeh, the daughter of Imad Mughniyeh, also married Reza Safi al-Din, highlighting the close familial ties between these prominent figures.

Naim Qassem

Another potential candidate for Nasrallah’s succession is Naim Qassem, who has served as Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General since 1992. Born in Beirut's Basta district in 1953, Qassem is also seen as a key figure in the party’s leadership structure.

The Israeli Strike

Earlier today, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced that Friday’s airstrike on southern Beirut resulted in Nasrallah’s death. Adraee added that Ali Karaki, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, and several other leaders were also killed in the attack.

Israeli aircraft reportedly dropped more than ten massive bombs on Hezbollah’s command center in Harat Hreik, a heavily fortified security zone. The strike caused unprecedented destruction.