Hezbollah has appointed Naim Qassem as its new leader. The announcement on Tuesday confirmed Qassem’s promotion from deputy leader to replace Hassan Nasrallah as the Lebanon-based group’s secretary-general.
Nasrallah was killed in Beirut late September by an Israeli airstrike. Since then, several senior Hezbollah figures have been targeted amid Israel’s intensified focus on the group.
In a statement, Hezbollah said Qassem was chosen for his “adherence to the principles and goals of Hezbollah.” The group further expressed, “[ask] God Almighty to guide him in this noble mission in leading Hezbollah and its Islamic resistance.”
Nasrallah’s death has left a significant void within Hezbollah, which had already lost many of its top leaders due to Israeli operations in recent months. Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s cousin, was initially seen as a likely successor, but he too was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut shortly after.
At 71, Qassem has long been a prominent figure in Hezbollah, often described as the organisation’s “number two.” As a founding religious scholar of the group in the 1980s, he has deep roots in Shia political activism.
He continued public appearances after Nasrallah went underground following Hezbollah’s 2006 war with Israel.
Since Nasrallah’s death, Qassem has delivered three televised speeches, using formal Arabic instead of Nasrallah’s preferred Lebanese dialect.
On September 30, he issued a bold statement, declaring Hezbollah’s readiness to confront Israel and to emerge victorious.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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