Wafiq Safa, the head of Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit, resigned from his position on Friday as Secretary General Naim Qassem has pushed to reshape the organization’s leadership, sources close to Reuters confirmed.
Safa has maintained a senior position within Hezbollah since 1987 and was appointed to his role as a powerful figure in the organization’s military apparatus by former Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah himself, with whom Safa is closely associated. His resignation marks the first time a Hezbollah official of his rank has stepped down under Qassem’s leadership.
In January, reports surfaced from Lebanese and Israeli sources that Qassem had been curbing Safa’s authority within Hezbollah, indicating internal divisions in the organization between pro-Nasrallah and reform-seeking officials. Safa allegedly threatened resignation if his role were to be further diminished.
According to Al-Hadath, Hezbollah expressed that Safa’s successor must embrace a different tone towards the Lebanese state and other countries.
Abdallah Kassir, former member of parliament, and Ahmed Mhanna are slated as possible contenders for assuming control of Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit, Reuters reported.
As the Lebanese state increases its operational capacity throughout southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, Hezbollah has been losing ground in places that it has traditionally projected its power. Qassem has sought to transform the organization into a more bureaucratic institution, a break from Nasrallah’s charismatic leadership that has defined Hezbollah since the 1980s.
In assessing a path forward for the organization, Hezbollah officials have been increasingly divided on approaches, oscillating between engagement with President Joseph Aoun’s administration and scrutiny against it.
Singling out Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri in his meetings with Aoun, Berri denounced the Hezbollah-affiliated news outlet al-Akhbar over its critical reporting, indicating a rift between Hezbollah and its traditional parliamentary ally Amal. Berri’s break from Hezbollah’s media ecosystem suggests the organization’s declining influence within Lebanese society.
However on Wednesday, Hezbollah member of parliament Mohammad Raad met with Aoun and advocated for dialogue and cooperation.
Simultaneously, the organization has been undergoing an internal reckoning after Israel’s thorough intelligence breaches within the organization, carrying out internal investigations within its security apparatus in an attempt to root out collaborators with Israeli intelligence.
As these divisions persist and Qassem continues to reform the party’s institutions, Safa’s isolation and resignation demonstrates Qassem’s willingness to replace leaders within Hezbollah
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