The Jerusalem Post

IDF: Son-in-law of Soleimani smuggling arms to Hezbollah

Syria says 3 of its soldiers killed in IDF attack near Damascus

- • By ANNA AHRONHEIM

the son-in-law of former islamic revolution­ary Guard corps Quds Force commander Qasem soleimani regularly smuggles weapons from iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the idF said on Friday.

sayyed reza Hashim safieddine is the son of sayyed Hashem safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s executive council – and is married to Zeinab soleimani, the daughter of the prominent iranian commander who was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad in january 2020.

He is believed to be a key member of Hezbollah’s financial activities in Lebanon since his father, who is Hassan nasrallah’s cousin, oversees Hezbollah’s social and economic activities.

reza is said to be close to nasrallah’s second son, jawad, who was placed on the us counter-terrorism blacklist in 2018 for his activities in recruiting people to carry out terror attacks, including suicide bombings in israel and the west Bank.

according to the idF, which has revealed the identities of many senior Hezbollah operatives involved in weapons and drug smuggling in Lebanon, the elder safieddine uses his senior status in the terror group to help his son smuggle strategic weapons.

reza flies several times a month to iran where his wife lives and uses his time in the islamic republic to coordinate the smuggling of advanced weaponry to the terror group, “using the infrastruc­ture, resources and network of activists he heads” the idF spokespers­on’s unit said.

the network is supported by the irGc and Hezbollah’s executive council headed by his father, who was added to the us counter-terrorism blacklist in 2018.

the weapons are smuggled back into Lebanon using passenger planes, therefore “endangerin­g civilians” on flights from iran to damascus internatio­nal airport.

“the Hezbollah terrorist organizati­on exploits the state of Lebanon and its citizens for terrorism that serve

Iranian interests,” the IDF said, adding that it will continue to monitor the terror group’s “attempts to undermine the security of the State of Israel and will act as necessary for the security of the State of Israel and its citizens.”

Hezbollah has more than 150,000 rockets and missiles, with a variety of ranges and payloads, and has been working on its precision missile project since 2013. It is thought to have only several dozen precision missiles.

The terror group has been

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Israel