Wafiq Safa resigns from senior security post in Hezbollah, sources say

BEIRUT — Hezbollah accepted the resignation of senior security official Wafiq Safa on Friday, a first for an official of this rank, sources close to the group told Reuters. Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, a spokesperson for the party did not respond to our request for comment.

This announcement comes as the party's leadership had recently decided to remove Safa — a leading figure in its security wing — from his role as head of the party's Liaison and Coordination Unit, which is responsible for internal coordination, maintaining relations with political forces, and communicating with authorities and security services. According to Al-Jadeed, Hussein al-Abdallah has been appointed to replace Safa as head of the unit.

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According to our information, Safa has had a problematic relationship with Hezbollah's secretary-general, Naim Qassem.

Also according to our information, since Hezbollah opened its "support front" for Hamas following the Oct. 7 operation, the party seven months ago launched an extensive internal review and adjustment process at both the political, security, military, and hierarchical levels.

The most notable changes targeted the unit led by Safa. "Wafiq Safa has been transferred to another post within the party. His priorities and his attitude no longer align with those of Hezbollah, especially his radical and inflexible approach," a senior official of the party told L'Orient-Le Jour.

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Safa was known for his provocative demeanor. His name is especially associated with the 2021 incident at the Beirut Palace of Justice, when he made threats against senior judges in connection with the investigation into the 2020 Beirut port double explosion. He is also regarded as a key figure in Hezbollah’s radical security wing. Qassem, by contrast, is seen as closer to the political branch and therefore more inclined to compromise.

During its most recent open conflict with Hezbollah in 2024, Israel attempted to assassinate Hezbollah’s "special missions man" on at least one occasion, conducting two strikes on residential buildings in Basta al-Fawqa and the nearby Noueiri neighborhood on Oct. 10 of that year, which killed around twenty people.