Naim Qassem is the new leader of Hezbollah. Initially, Hassan Nasrallah's cousin, Hashem Saffieddin, was considered the likely candidate to replace him after he was killed in an Israeli attack, but he too was defeated. In a statement, the group said it would “ask God to guide our leaders in this noble mission.” Israel commented on the nomination. “It won't last long,” the Defense Secretary said.
Hezbollah authorities announced on Tuesday who will become the group's new leader. Naim Qassem, who previously served as deputy secretary-general, was chosen as leader. A statement released by the group said he was chosen for his “adherence to Hezbollah's principles and goals.”
Hezbollah announces new leader
Hezbollah added that it would “ask Almighty God to guide the new leader in the noble mission of leading the group and the Islamic resistance movement.”
Previously, the group's leader was Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli attack in Beirut in September. Several key commanders and senior officials died with him.
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According to media reports, Prime Minister Nasrallah's cousin Hashem Saffieddin was initially considered to succeed the leadership, but he too was killed in an Israeli airstrike days after the Beirut attack.
Qasem, 71, is often referred to as Hezbollah's “number two,” according to Al Jazeera. He was one of the religious scholars who founded the organization in the early 1980s, has known it from the beginning, and has been politically active for many years.
He was the highest-ranking Hezbollah representative to appear in public since the 2006 war with Israel. At that time, Nasrallah feared for his life and went into hiding.
Naim Qassem becomes Hezbollah's new leader. Israel: It won't last long.
Israel did not ignore the choice of a new leader. Defense Minister Yoav Galan commented on the situation, posting two posts with images of Mr. Qasem. The first entry reads in Hebrew: “Temporary nomination. The countdown has begun.” The British minister then wrote in the second sentence: “This is a temporary appointment. It will not last long.”
On the same day, the politician visited the Israeli military's Northern Command and said in a subsequent statement that Hezbollah's missile arsenal had been largely destroyed by Israeli attacks.
– He estimated that the remaining capacity of (Hezbollah's) missiles and rockets was about 20 percent, and it was no longer in a position to fire a volley, he said.
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