Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hezbollah’s Wafiq Safa is in Critical Condition

Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa (L) talks with Hezbollah parliament member Ali Ammar (R) as Druze Democratic Party chief Talal Arslan (2nd R) looks on after offering their condolences to Bassam Qantar (2nd L), the brother of Lebanese Hezbollah militant leader Samir Qantar who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus early on Sunday, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon December 20, 2015. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban/File Photo
Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa (L) talks with Hezbollah parliament member Ali Ammar (R) as Druze Democratic Party chief Talal Arslan (2nd R) looks on after offering their condolences to Bassam Qantar (2nd L), the brother of Lebanese Hezbollah militant leader Samir Qantar who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus early on Sunday, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon December 20, 2015. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban/File Photo
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hezbollah’s Wafiq Safa is in Critical Condition

Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa (L) talks with Hezbollah parliament member Ali Ammar (R) as Druze Democratic Party chief Talal Arslan (2nd R) looks on after offering their condolences to Bassam Qantar (2nd L), the brother of Lebanese Hezbollah militant leader Samir Qantar who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus early on Sunday, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon December 20, 2015. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban/File Photo
Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa (L) talks with Hezbollah parliament member Ali Ammar (R) as Druze Democratic Party chief Talal Arslan (2nd R) looks on after offering their condolences to Bassam Qantar (2nd L), the brother of Lebanese Hezbollah militant leader Samir Qantar who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus early on Sunday, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon December 20, 2015. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban/File Photo

A senior Lebanese security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Wafiq Safa, Hezbollah’s Coordination and Liaison Officer, is in critical condition following a severe injury from an Israeli airstrike targeting his location in a densely populated residential area of Beirut.

The strike killed and injured dozens, but Lebanese security agencies have not confirmed whether Safa has died or remains alive.

Safa had long been the key link between Lebanese security and political forces and Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel last month.

According to the US State Department, Safa, sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2019, acted as a communication channel between Hezbollah and Lebanese security forces and headed Hezbollah’s security apparatus, reporting directly to Nasrallah.

Washington accuses Safa of exploiting Lebanese ports and border crossings for smuggling and undermining Lebanon’s security and economy.

Born in 1960 in Zebdine, southern Lebanon, Safa joined Hezbollah in 1984 and became head of the security committee in 1987. He played a pivotal role in the 2000 negotiations after three Israeli soldiers were captured, and in the 2008 prisoner exchange between Hezbollah and Israel. His prominence increased after Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon in 2005, as he helped reorganize Hezbollah’s security.

In September 2021, Safa made headlines after threatening Judge Tarek Bitar, the lead investigator of the Beirut port explosion, with removal from the case.

Hezbollah opposition activist Ali Al-Amin described Safa as having significant connections to security agencies and political forces but noted that he is not one of Hezbollah’s top security officials, whose identities often remain undisclosed.



Israel Drafts Plan to Annex West Bank Settlements

An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
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Israel Drafts Plan to Annex West Bank Settlements

An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed calls from his ministers to impose Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank next year after US President Donald Trump takes office.

In recent private talks, Netanyahu said the issue of sovereignty in the West Bank should return to the agenda once Trump is in the White House, according to public broadcaster Kan.

This aligns Netanyahu with coalition members already pushing for such a move next year.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the National Religious Party - Zionism Party and holds a position within Israel’s Defense Ministry where he oversees the administration of the occupied West Bank and its settlements, said Monday that a Trump win would create a “key opportunity” for Israel to impose sovereignty.

“We were close to applying sovereignty to settlements in Judea and Samaria during Trump’s last term, and now it’s time to make it happen,” he said.

“2025: the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich wrote on X, using the biblical name by which Israel refers to the occupied West Bank.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also welcomed Donald Trump’s victory, saying, “This is the time for sovereignty.”

Trump’s win has encouraged Israeli right-wing leaders to push for annexing and expanding West Bank settlements.

The plan to extend sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and West Bank settlements dates back to 2020, when Netanyahu sought Trump’s approval to move forward.

Kan reported that annexation plans are ready to be implemented.

In 2020, as part of Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin’s team, working with US officials, prepared maps, regulations, and a draft government resolution, Kan said.

The plan includes access roads and potential expansion zones for each settlement.

The West Bank is home to around 144 official settlements and over 100 unofficial outposts, covering approximately 42% of the territory, including their jurisdictions. These areas house about 600,000 Israeli settlers.