Following the official confirmation of Hassan Nasrallah's death in an Israeli airstrike on southern Beirut, speculation is swirling regarding his potential successor at the helm of Hezbollah.

According to sources within the organization, Hashim Safi al-Din is the frontrunner to take over leadership, as reported by Anadolu Agency.

On Friday evening, Israeli F-35 fighter jets carried out a "severe and unprecedented" strike on Hezbollah’s central headquarters in the Haret Hreik area, resulting in Nasrallah's death.

Who Is Hashim Safi al-Din?

Hashim Safi al-Din currently serves as the Chairman of Hezbollah's Executive Council, making him the second-in-command behind Nasrallah. For years, he has been referred to in media circles as Nasrallah's "shadow."

Born in 1964 in the town of Deir Qanoun al-Naher in southern Lebanon, Safi al-Din has been an integral part of Hezbollah since its establishment in 1982. In the 1980s, he traveled to Qom, Iran, to study religious sciences, where he joined his cousin, Hassan Nasrallah.

Safi al-Din has been groomed for leadership since 1994, when he was called from Qom to Beirut to head the Executive Council, effectively serving as the party's government. At that time, he worked under the previous security chief of Hezbollah, Imad Mughniyeh.

Over three decades, Safi al-Din has managed many sensitive daily operations within the party, including overseeing its finances and investments, while leaving strategic matters largely in Nasrallah's hands.

Public and Political Presence

Like Nasrallah, Safi al-Din possesses a strong public and political presence, delivering fiery speeches often laced with a strong religious tone. His rhetoric emphasizes the need to confront Israeli aggression.

In a speech on July 13, 2024, he stated, "If our duty today is to fight this enemy in the south and offer our martyrs, we are ready to sacrifice everything, confident that God will grant us victory as He did in 2006."

In another address on July 18, he stressed that "Lebanon is engaged in war with the Israeli enemy without constraints or limits," echoing Nasrallah's earlier sentiments that Hezbollah will continue to support Gaza until Israel ceases its attacks.

Close Ties to Iran

Safi al-Din enjoys strong relations with Tehran. In addition to his years of religious studies in Qom, he became related to the former commander of Iran's Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, in 2020, when Soleimani's daughter married Safi al-Din's son, Reza.

In 2017, the U.S. Treasury Department designated Safi al-Din as a terrorist, citing his affiliation with Hezbollah.