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Khamenei Names Naim Qassem his Representative in Lebanon

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (dpa)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (dpa)
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Khamenei Names Naim Qassem his Representative in Lebanon

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (dpa)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (dpa)

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has appointed Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem as his representative in Lebanon, replacing the party’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike on September 27.

This role is the highest religious authority in Lebanon concerning Khamenei, granting his representative significant influence over religious and financial matters, including control of zakat funds collected from Khamenei’s followers. Additionally, the representative has the power to make political decisions based on local circumstances, acting on behalf of the Supreme Leader without requiring direct approval.

Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that Khamenei’s decision came approximately 100 days after Qassem was elected as Hezbollah’s Secretary-General.

The position of Khamenei’s representative is a religious one, allowing the appointee to implement religious rulings derived from Khamenei’s fatwas independently, without needing to consult him on details.

Khamenei has representatives in all Iranian provinces and several countries, including Lebanon, Iraq, and various Asian and European nations. These representatives issue fatwas, religious rulings, and respond to inquiries from Khamenei’s followers.

In Lebanon, alongside Khamenei’s representative, there is also a legal proxy. Qassem now holds the primary position, while Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek serves as the legal proxy, whose role is mainly focused on judicial rulings.

Qassem is a founding member of Hezbollah and had served as the party’s deputy secretary-general since 1991. He has been one of Hezbollah’s most prominent spokespersons, frequently engaging with foreign media. He is also known for overseeing Hezbollah’s parliamentary election campaigns since 1992.

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RSF Shelling On Camp Kills 8 in Sudan's Darfur, Say Rescuers

A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
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RSF Shelling On Camp Kills 8 in Sudan's Darfur, Say Rescuers

A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled a displacement camp in Sudan's Darfur region on Thursday, killing eight civilians and injuring others, a local rescue group said.

The bombardment hit Abu Shouk camp, which hosts tens of thousands of displaced people on the outskirts of El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur.

El-Fasher remains the last major stronghold in Sudan's western Darfur region not under the control of the RSF, who have been at war with the regular army since April 2023, AFP reported.

"The Abu Shouk camp witnessed heavy artillery bombardment by the RSF... killing eight people," the camp's Emergency Response Room said in a statement.

In recent weeks, El-Fasher, which has been under RSF siege since last year, has been locked in intense fighting between warring sides in a region also gripped by famine.

Thursday's offensive comes just days after a series of attacks by the RSF targeted another battleground region of Sudan.

More than 450 people, including 35 children, were killed in several villages of North Kordofan, southwest of the capital Khartoum, according to a statement released this week by the UN's children agency.

"No child should ever experience such horrors," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Violence against children is unconscionable and must end now."

On Sunday, the RSF claimed to have killed more than 470 army personnel near the town of El-Obeid, also in North Kordofan, in a statement posted to its Telegram channel.

Independent verification of casualties in Sudan remains difficult due to restricted access to its conflict zones.

Now in its third year, the conflict has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee, creating what the United Nations describes as the world's largest displacement crisis.

In December last year, famine was officially declared in three displacement camps near El-Fasher, namely Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Al-Salam, according to the UN.

Since the Sudanese army regained control of the capital Khartoum in March, the RSF has shifted its operations westward, focusing on Darfur and Kordofan in a bid to consolidate territorial gains.

In April, RSF fighters seized the Zamzam displacement camp, located near Abu Shouk.

The assault forced nearly 400,000 people to flee, according to UN figures, effectively emptying one of the country's largest camps for the displaced.

Sudanese analyst Mohaned el-Nour told AFP the RSF aims to redefine its role in the conflict.

"Their goal is no longer to be seen as a militia, but as an alternative government in western Sudan, undermining the legitimacy of the authorities in Port Sudan."

He added that the recent surge in violence in North Kordofan was likely intended to divert the army's attention from El Fasher, where the military is trying "at all costs" to maintain.