*This article is part of a series of articles dealing with the structure of Hezbollah in general with the various councils and the executive council on its various civilian entities in particular (see the introduction here)
Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit, which operates under the Executive Council, is actually run by one individual named Wafiq Safa. Despite various corruption allegations made against him in 2010, Safa maintained his position in the organization and is considered very close to Nasrallah.
Safa is Hezbollah’s “special mission man” vis-à-vis various official bodies and has been responsible for coordination between Hezbollah and the Lebanese and international security forces since 1987.
Safa has a close relationship with the head of Lebanese General Security Abbas Ibrahim. In 2019, when US sanctions were imposed on Safa, it was reported that he, together with Muhammad Ra’ad, a member of the Shura Council, participated in organizing hundreds of foreign passports for Hezbollah operatives. In addition, Safa uses his connections to smuggle drugs and weapons and facilitate the movement of Hezbollah operatives throughout Lebanese ports (sea and aviation) and through various border crossings.
Safa is very active in raising money from Hezbollah supporters and is close to financier Adham Tabaja, who donates a lot of money to Hezbollah. Safa also mixes in politics and has good relations with the president, Michel Aoun, and Jubran Basil, head of the Christian Free Movement, Hezbollah’s political ally.
Unconfirmed indications have recently been received that Safa has been removed from Hezbollah’s centers of power, in light of his close friendship with a senior Hezbollah official who fled Lebanon after being suspected of spying for Israel.
Except for the previous information regarding Safa, we had difficulty finding more information about the unit itself. As we noted, it is a small unit, which Wafiq Safa functions as the dominant figure; serving under him are a few people located at all the main Lebanese power junctions.
