Who is Hashem Safieddine, rumored to be the next Hezbollah chief? [Video]

The fate of a possible successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is unclear following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut.Related video above: Israel begins ground offensive in southern Lebanon amid escalating conflict (10/01/24)An Israeli official told CNN that Hashem Safieddine was the target of the strike, but it is unclear if he was killed.Safieddine is a maternal cousin of Nasrallah — the two studied in Iran together in the early 1980s. Just like Nasrallah, Safieddine is a staunch critic of Israel and the West, with deep alliances with the Iranian leadership.Safieddine served as head of Hezbollah’s executive council and, until his predecessor’s death, was seen as one of the most likely heirs to the organization’s highest-ranking seat. The group has yet to name a successor to Nasrallah.The executive council is one of five bodies that make up the Shura Council, which is the organization’s decision-making body. The executive council oversees political …