Lebanon’s Hezbollah Names Naim Qassem as New Leader, Israel Says His Days May Be Numbered

Lebanon's Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem attends a memorial service for Mohammed Nasser, Hezbollah's senior commander who was killed on June 3 in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, July 10, 2024. (Reuters)
Lebanon's Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem attends a memorial service for Mohammed Nasser, Hezbollah's senior commander who was killed on June 3 in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, July 10, 2024. (Reuters)
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Lebanon’s Hezbollah Names Naim Qassem as New Leader, Israel Says His Days May Be Numbered

Lebanon's Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem attends a memorial service for Mohammed Nasser, Hezbollah's senior commander who was killed on June 3 in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, July 10, 2024. (Reuters)
Lebanon's Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem attends a memorial service for Mohammed Nasser, Hezbollah's senior commander who was killed on June 3 in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, July 10, 2024. (Reuters)

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had elected deputy head Sheikh Naim Qassem to succeed Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air attack on Beirut's southern suburb over a month ago.

The group said in a written statement that its Shura Council had elected Qassem, 71, in accordance with its established mechanism for choosing a secretary general.

He was appointed as Hezbollah's deputy chief in 1991 by the armed group's then-secretary-general Abbas al-Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack the following year.

Qassem remained in his role when Nasrallah became leader, and has long been one of Hezbollah's leading spokesmen, conducting interviews with foreign media, including as cross-border hostilities with Israel raged over the last year.

Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27, and senior Hezbollah figure Hashem Safieddine - considered the most likely successor - was killed in Israeli strikes a week later.

Since Nasrallah's killing, Qassem has given three televised addresses, including one on Oct. 8 in which he said the Iran-backed group supported efforts to reach a ceasefire for Lebanon.

He is considered by many in Lebanon to lack the charisma and gravitas of Nasrallah.

The Israeli government's official Arabic account on X posted, "His tenure in this position may be the shortest in the history of this terrorist organization if he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine."

"There is no solution in Lebanon except to dismantle this organization as a military force," it wrote.

Born in 1953 in Beirut to a family from Lebanon's south, Qassem's political activism began with the Lebanese Shiite Amal Movement, now a Hezbollah ally.    

He left the group in 1979 in the wake of Iran's revolution, which shaped the political thinking of many young Lebanese Shiite activists. Qassem took part in meetings that led to the formation of Hezbollah, established with the backing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.    

He has been the general coordinator of Hezbollah's parliamentary election campaigns since the group first contested them in 1992.



Lebanon to Increase Army Personnel Ahead of Possible Deployment South of Litani

Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)
Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)
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Lebanon to Increase Army Personnel Ahead of Possible Deployment South of Litani

Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)
Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)

The Lebanese government has approved funding to recruit 1,500 new military personnel in the Lebanese Army as part of an initiative to increase military presence along the southern border, amid Israel’s ongoing hostilities.
The funds will be provided to the Ministry of Defense as an advance, a decision highlighted by the Minister of Information for its political and international significance, particularly in relation to implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati in the caretaker government emphasized that continued and escalating Israeli attacks on Lebanon amount to crimes against humanity. He stated that a primary pathway to a resolution involves halting hostilities against the country, fully implementing Resolution 1701, and electing a new president to restore institutional order, stability, and initiate reconstruction.

Mikati condemned what he described as an international failure to stop Israel’s actions against Lebanon, which include attacks on towns and villages, civilian deaths, and strikes against medical and relief personnel.
“We condemn and hold the international community responsible for the continuation of Israel’s genocidal war on Lebanon, its destruction of towns and villages, killing of civilians, assassination of army personnel, and targeting of medical teams, civil defense, relief teams, and journalists.
“Additionally, the attacks on UNIFIL, which represents international legitimacy, make targeting UNIFIL an assault on the international community and the Security Council. This destruction continues to affect hospitals, schools, and educational centers,” stated Mikati.
On the international front, Mikati highlighted the solidarity shown by world figures, referring to his discussions with leaders like Jordan’s King Abdullah, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, and Britain’s Prime Minister. This was further demonstrated during the Paris Conference in Support of Lebanon -late on October- he underlined, specifically thanking France for its humanitarian efforts and military support.
But he added: “But unfortunately, Israel is blatantly disregarding all international efforts to achieve a ceasefire.”
The prime minister reiterated Lebanon’s stance on safeguarding its dignity and sovereignty across air, sea, and land, pledging to confront any Israeli violations.
Following the cabinet meeting, Minister of Information Ziad Makari assured that funds to recruit 1,500 additional soldiers are available and that the government encountered no issues regarding this allocation.
Nasser Yassin, the government’s Emergency Committee coordinator, announced that the cabinet approved fuel allocations for 541 shelters in mountainous regions over 300 meters in altitude to ensure winter heating. Yassin also detailed efforts concerning the people displaced as the result of the Israeli hostilities in Lebanon.
He highlighted that there are 44,000 families in 1,138 shelters and an additional 147,000 families housed within communities.