The decision on the appointment was made after Sheikh Naim Qassem took over as the new Secretary General of Hezbollah on October 29. On October 11, medical sources in Beirut reported that Safa “survived the Israeli attack, but is in critical condition in hospital.” There has been no other information about his fate in recent days.
Safa was close to Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed on September 27, and carried out important mediation missions inside and outside Lebanon. In 2019, the US Treasury blacklisted the former intelligence chief for allegedly being involved in arms and drug smuggling.