Hezbollah Appoints Naim Qassem as New Secretary General
Hezbollah, the prominent Lebanese militant organization, has announced the appointment of Naim Qassem as its new secretary general. This decision comes in the wake of the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s long-serving leader, who was killed last month during Israeli airstrikes in southern Beirut.
The selection of Mr. Qassem, who is approximately 70 years old, occurs amidst Hezbollah’s most intense conflict with Israel since the group was established in the 1980s. In recent months, Israel has targeted and eliminated a significant number of Hezbollah leaders and commanders. This includes not only Mr. Nasrallah but also his likely successor, Hashem Safieddine, along with numerous fighters within the organization.
Since Mr. Nasrallah’s death, Mr. Qassem has emerged as Hezbollah’s principal spokesperson, delivering video addresses from undisclosed locations. While he has suggested that Hezbollah may be open to diplomatic avenues to conclude the ongoing war, he has not indicated any significant changes in the group’s overall strategy. He has reaffirmed that Hezbollah’s fighters are fully prepared to engage with Israeli troops should they invade southern Lebanon.
- “We will confront any possibility, and we are ready if the Israelis decide to enter by land,” he stated last month.
- “The forces of the resistance are ready for a ground engagement.”
Naim Qassem was born in 1953 in Beirut and has been actively involved with Hezbollah since its inception, which was supported by Iran in the early 1980s. In 1991, he was appointed as the group’s deputy leader under the previous secretary general, Abbas al-Musawi.
Following the assassination of Mr. al-Musawi by Israel in 1992, Mr. Nasrallah was promoted to the leadership position, while Mr. Qassem continued to serve as the deputy. In 2018, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mr. Qassem due to his involvement with Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
