Naim Qassem is the new leader of Hezbollah, Photo: Al-Manar TV
The Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah on Tuesday announced the election of Naim Qassem as the organisation’s new secretary general following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack on the southern outskirts of Beirut. Reuters reports this, citing a statement from the group.
The Shura Council, Hezbollah’s governing body, confirmed that “Sheikh Naim Qassem has been elected Secretary General of Hezbollah”. The announcement came on the heels of the death of Hashem Safiddin, Nasrallah’s likely successor, who was also killed in a separate Israeli attack in early October.
71-year-old Naim Qassem is one of the founders of Hezbollah, which was established in 1982. In 1991, he became the movement’s deputy secretary general, following the signing of agreements aimed at reconciling the Lebanese after the 1975-1990 civil war.
Qassem recently appeared on television calling for a “ceasefire” in Gaza and Lebanon and warned that Hezbollah would strike “everywhere” in Israel if it did not.
Since 23 September, Israel has been conducting massive air strikes in Lebanon in an attempt to stop Hezbollah’s fire on northern Israel and allow residents to return home. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 1,700 people have died since the beginning of the war.
