Hezbollah has announced the appointment of Naim Qassem as its new Secretary-General, taking over from Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike targeting Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in central Beirut on September 27. Nasrallah’s initial successor, Hashem Safieddine, was killed in a subsequent Israeli airstrike before he could even be officially named the terror group’s new leader.

Qassem, who has held the role of deputy secretary-general for over three decades, fled from Lebanon to Iran earlier in October, reportedly due to concerns that Israel may target him next. According to Aram News, an Emirati news outlet citing Iranian sources, Qassem traveled to Tehran on October 5, accompanied by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Hezbollah’s allies, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Iran, publicly congratulated Qassem on his new position. Ynet quoted Hamas’s statement: “Congratulations to our brothers in the Hezbollah leadership for choosing Qassem in place of the martyred Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, who lived as a fighter and was killed as a fighter.” PIJ added that the appointment demonstrated the “resistance’s high ability to confront the enemy and inflict losses.” The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also extended his congratulations.

Qassem has a deep-rooted history with Hezbollah, which he joined after parting ways with Lebanon’s Shi’ite Amal Movement following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. His role in the formation of Hezbollah in 1982, alongside Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, cemented his position within the group’s leadership. Known for his role as a spokesperson, Qassem has often spoken to foreign media. In June, amid rising hostilities linked to the Gaza conflict, he claimed to Al Jazeera that Hezbollah aimed to avoid widening the war but would respond if forced.

Earlier this month, in a televised address, Qassem maintained that Hezbollah remains “steadfast” despite the death of Nasrallah and the decimation of its military chain of command.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)