The Israeli military has confirmed the killing of Hashem Safieddin, head of the Hezbollah Executive Council.

In a related statement, the IDF confirmed both the killing of Safieddin and that of Ali Hussein Hashima, Commander of Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters, as well as additional Hezbollah commanders.

“The terrorists were killed in an attack carried out about three weeks ago in the Dahieh area, a key stronghold of Hezbollah terrorists in Beirut,” the statement said, adding that the military carried out a precision strike on the organization’s main intelligence headquarters operating in underground of the urban fabric.

Safieddin, head of Hezbollah’s executive council, was seen as the preferred successor to Nasrallah in the leadership of Lebanon’s pro-Iranian movement.

As head of Hezbollah’s executive council, Safieddin oversaw Hezbollah’s political affairs.

He also sat on the Jihad Council, which manages the organization’s military operations.

Safieddin was Nasrallah’s cousin and, like him, a cleric wearing the black turban that indicates descent from the prophet Muhammad.

The US State Department designated him a terrorist in 2017.

In June he threatened a major escalation against Israel after the assassination of another Hezbollah commander. “Let (the enemy) get ready to cry and mourn,” he had said at the funeral.

Safieddin’s public statements often reflected Hezbollah’s militant stance and alignment with the Palestinian cause.

Nasrallah “started assigning him positions especially for his abilities in a number of different councils within Hezbollah. Some of them further out of date than others. They made him come out and talk,” said Philip Smith, an analyst who studies Tehran-backed Shiite militias.

Safyeddin’s family ties, physical resemblance to Nasrallah, and his religious status as a descendant of Muhammad would all count in his favor.

He has also strongly criticized the US for its policy, the Jerusalem Post reports. In response to US pressure on Hezbollah, he said in 2017: “This mentally retarded, insane US administration led by Trump will not be able to harm the resistance,” arguing that such actions would only strengthen Hezbollah’s resolve.