The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has confirmed the martyrdom of the head of its Executive Council, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Hezbollah said Safieddine was martyred in “a brutal and aggressive Zionist airstrike.”

Safieddine was widely expected to be formally elected as Hezbollah’s next secretary general after Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut on September 27.

“Sayyed Hashem has now joined his brother, our most revered and beloved martyr, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,” the statement read.

“He was his brother, his right hand, his banner bearer, his trusted confidant in times of hardship, and his dependable companion during difficulties,” it added.

The emotional statement on Wednesday said Safieddine “ascended to his Lord, pleased and content, patient and steadfast.”

Hezbollah said Safieddine had dedicated his life to serving Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance and its society. For many years, Safieddine responsibly and skillfully managed the Executive Council and its various institutions and units across different fields of Resistance.

“He remained close to the fighters, connected to the public, and loving to the families of the martyrs, until Allah honored him with martyrdom, joining the luminous convoy of the martyrs of Karbala,” the statement said.

The movement pledged “to our great martyr and his fellow martyrs to continue the path of Resistance and jihad until the goals of freedom and victory are achieved.”

The Hezbollah statement did not clarify the time and place of the assassination of Safieddine. But the Israeli regime said in a statement on Tuesday it assassinated the senior Hezbollah figure in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs three weeks ago.

The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, offered condolences on the martyrdom of Safieddine on the path to the liberation of Al-Quds.

“The Qassam Brigades commends the role of the martyr, leader Hashem Safieddine, in supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance. He is also remembered for his great contributions in building and strengthening the resistance front against the Zionist occupation over many long years.”