Breaking: Hezbollah Loses Contact with Nasrallah’s Potential Successor

Hezbollah is currently unable to establish contact with Hashem Safieddine, a key figure viewed as a potential successor to the recently deceased leader Hassan Nasrallah, a Lebanese security source reported to CNN. Safieddine has been unreachable following an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday.

Safieddine, who is Nasrallah’s maternal cousin, was a prominent candidate for leadership, having previously headed Hezbollah’s executive council. Both he and Nasrallah studied together in Iran during the 1980s.

In a statement last month, after attacks targeted Hezbollah’s communication devices, Safieddine declared that his group would persist in its efforts “until the end.” The United States has recognized Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization since 1997 and specifically designated Safieddine as a terrorist in 2017.