Wafic Safa, Hezbollah's ‘man of special missions,’ in Israel's crosshairs

In its assassination attempt against Wafic Safa, Israel did not spare any means. On Thursday evening, it simultaneously struck two residential buildings in neighboring neighborhoods in the heart of Beirut, aiming to assassinate the head of the Hezbollah liaison and coordination unit. 

The strikes resulted in at least 22 deaths and 90 injuries, completely destroying one building. On Saturday morning, reports about Wafic Safa's fate remained contradictory, with some suggesting he was not present at the targeted locations, while others claimed he was seriously injured, and there was no official communication from Hezbollah or Israel. But who, then, is Wafic Safa, this powerful figure that Israel seems willing to do anything to eliminate?

Born in 1960 in Zebdine, in the Nabatiyeh region, Wafic Safa joined Hezbollah in 1984. "He served as the security chief in the southern suburbs of Beirut for a period and has climbed the ranks since," says a former party member. 

Indeed, according to several sources, he was appointed head of the party's security committee in 1987 by Hassan Nasrallah, then president of the party's executive council, under which this committee falls, and who would be the party's secretary-general from 1992 until his assassination in 2024. A few years later, the body he leads became the "Liaison and Coordination Unit," responsible for communications between Hezbollah and the security apparatuses as well as political parties in Lebanon.

Defense, Interior, or Diplomacy?

In 2019, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Mr. Safa as well as on two Hezbollah deputies. He is accused by Washington of having "exploited Lebanon's ports and border crossing points to smuggle and facilitate travel on behalf of Hezbollah, undermining the security and safety of the Lebanese people while depriving the Lebanese government of import rights and valuable revenue." 

He is also accused of trying to secure foreign passports for party members to facilitate their movements. "With these passports, these individuals would be sent by Hezbollah on long-term missions to Arab and Western countries," stated the US Treasury.

In Lebanon, Wafic Safa is a controversial figure, often associated with intimidation. According to our information, he threatened to oust investigating judge Tarek Bitar, who is responsible for the investigation into the double explosion at the Beirut port on August 4, 2020. 

The blast was caused by a fire that affected a hangar where hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored since 2014, without safety measures. Several observers suggest that the cargo was under Hezbollah's control, which denies it. In 2019, the al-Jadeed channel conducted an investigation into Mr. Safa's wealth and discovered he owned a large number of real estate properties, particularly in the Nabatiyeh region. 

Although he is one of the few Hezbollah leaders known to the public, Mr. Safa remains discreet and seldom speaks to the media. He is also said to be very close to Hassan Nasrallah, whom he often accompanied and is his brother-in-law. 

The former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party and Druze leader Walid Joumblatt reportedly stated, according to several media outlets, that "Wafic Safa decides what the army and security services can do in Lebanon."

He also plays a key role on behalf of Hezbollah in several international matters and deadlines, including during the prisoner exchange with Israel (via Germany) at the end of the 2006 war. 

Last March, he was dispatched by his party to Abu Dhabi to attempt to repair relations between Haret Hreik and the Gulf countries and to negotiate the release of Shia prisoners, benefiting from the rapprochement between the U.A.E. and Bashar al-Assad's Syria, an ally of Hezbollah that reportedly played the role of mediator.

In 2019, it was Wafic Safa who attempted, according to Arab and Israeli media, to mediate between the Syrian regime and Hamas, whose political wing supported the 2011 Syrian revolution, something that Assad struggles to forgive. 

Thus, the Alma research center, which specializes in security issues in northern Israel but is accused of being a propaganda tool for the Israeli army, describes Wafic Safa as Hezbollah’s "man of special missions". Some Israeli media describe him as Hezbollah’s "Minister of Defense", while others attribute the portfolios of the Interior or Foreign Affairs to him.

A New Phase

However, speaking to L’Orient-Le Jour, several sources downplay the influence of Wafic Safa within the party. "In reality, he is somewhat the public relations officer of Hezbollah, no more, no less, says the party dissident. Behind him, there are surely much more powerful people. Within Hezbollah, the truly important people are often unknown."

"The Israelis invent roles and titles for Wafic Safa to justify the massacre committed as part of the assassination attempt against him and to show that they can still strike hard, believes a source close to Hezbollah. 

However, this man's role within the party is very clear. He manages the relationships with political actors." And he adds: "In practice, he plays no role in managing the front against Israel. His mission is limited to politics in Beirut."

But then, why has Israel targeted him? For Hezbollah insiders, it may have some scores to settle with Wafic Safa. "After the 2006 war, he secured the release of Samir Kantar (a Lebanese Druze militant who carried out an attack in Nahariya in 1979) and four other Lebanese from Israeli prisons," recalls this source. In exchange, the Israelis obtained the bodies of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, their captured soldiers. This is a victory that the Resistance aims to repeat today."

But beyond partisan rhetoric, some observers view this assassination attempt as the transition to a new phase of Israeli targeted strikes: that of attacks against non-military figures. 

"Wafic Safa's role is primarily to consolidate Hezbollah's political influence internally, analyzes Mohannad Hage Ali, a researcher at the Carnegie Middle East Center. Thus, this attack on him seems to fit within Israeli policy aiming to combat the party's grip on power."

After significantly weakening the military command of Hezbollah, will Jerusalem now wage war on its political wing? 

A few days ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Lebanese to "liberate" their country from Hezbollah, or Lebanon could suffer the same fate as Gaza. 

Later, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated during a press conference that the United States wished for Hezbollah to be "less of a force in Lebanese political life." 

An objective that could go through the elimination of Wafic Safa?