Iraq’s Ammar Al-Hakim offers condolences over assassination of Hezbollah’s Hashem Safieddine

BAGHDAD — Ammar Al-Hakim, head of the Hikma Movement, expressed his condolences following the assassination of senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine, chairman of the group’s Executive Council. Al-Hakim’s media office released a statement extending solidarity with Lebanon and its “resistance forces” after the Israeli airstrike that killed Safieddine in Beirut.

Hashem Safieddine, was a senior Hezbollah figure and head of the group’s Executive Council. In this position, he oversaw the organization’s administrative, social, and political activities, including managing Hezbollah’s domestic programs in Lebanon.

Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Oct. 3, 2024. However, Hezbollah only confirmed his death yesterday. The Israeli Defense Forces reportedly targeted a Hezbollah command bunker in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold for the group. The strike, which also allegedly killed other Hezbollah officials, was part of a broader Israeli campaign against Hezbollah leadership following the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, in September. Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, was widely regarded as his likely successor.

“This great loss will undoubtedly serve as a motivation for the brave resistance fighters to continue on their path until victory is achieved. As we implore the Almighty to encompass the souls of the martyrs in His mercy and grant them a place in His vast paradise, we also ask Him to bestow patience and solace upon their honorable families and comrades,” Al-Hakim’s statement read.