International: Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday confirmed it had killed Hashem Safieddine, the successor to late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah who was eliminated last month in an Israeli attack targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.

"Hashem Safieddine, Head of the Hezbollah Executive Council and Ali Hussein Hazima, Commander of Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters, were eliminated during a strike on Hezbollah’s main intelligence HQ in Dahieh approx. 3 weeks ago," confirmed Israel Defense Forces in a post on X.

Who was Hashem Safieddine?

A relative of Nasrallah, Safieddine was appointed to its Jihad Council - the body responsible for its military operations - and to its executive council, overseeing Hezbollah's financial and administrative affairs. Safieddine assumed a prominent role of speaking for Hezbollah during the last year of hostilities with Israel, addressing funerals and other events that Nasrallah had long been unable to attend for security reasons.

Safieddine was a member of the Shura Council, Hezbollah's most senior military-political forum, responsible for the decision-making and policy-making in the terrorist organization, the Israeli military said.

"Hashem was the cousin of Hassan Nasrallah, the former leader of Hezbollah, and had a significant influence on decision-making within Hezbollah. During times when Nasrallah was absent from Lebanon, Hashem filled in as the Secretary-General of Hezbollah. Throughout the years, Safieddine directed terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and took part in Hezbollah's central decision-making processes. Alongside Hashem, the terrorist Ali Hussein Hazima, the Commander of Hezbollah's Intelligence Headquarters, was also eliminated. He was responsible for directing numerous attacks on IDF soldiers," Israel Defense Forces' X post read.

There was no immediate response from Hezbollah to Israel's statement that it had killed Safieddine.

Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said, "We have reached Nasrallah, his replacement and most of Hezbollah's senior leadership. We will reach anyone who threatens the security of the civilians of the State of Israel."

Israel has been carrying out an escalating offensive in Lebanon after a year of border clashes with Hezbollah, the most formidably armed of Iran's proxy forces across the Middle East. The group has been acting in support of Palestinian militants fighting Israel in Gaza but is reeling from a spate of killings of its senior commanders in Israeli airstrikes in recent weeks.