Hezbollah names Naim Qassem as successor

Hezbollah has announced the appointment of Naim Qassem as its new leader. Qassem, who previously served as an aide to the late Hassan Nasrallah, has taken the helm after Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli attack.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement announced Tuesday it has chosen deputy leader Qassem to succeed Nasrallah as leader after he died in an Israeli strike in south Beirut in September.

“Hezbollah’s (governing) Shura Council agreed to elect … Sheikh Naim Qassem as secretary general of Hezbollah,” the Iran-backed group said in a statement, more than a month after Nasrallah’s killing.

Naim Qassem to lead Hezbollah after Nasrallah’s death

Qassem, who has served as deputy head of Hezbollah for over two decades, has been appointed as the new leader of the Lebanese Shia militant group. The announcement follows the death of Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s long-standing chief, who was killed in an undisclosed attack.

Qassem, a central figure within Hezbollah’s leadership structure, has been an influential voice in the organization’s military and political strategies.

Who Is Naim Qassem?

Naim Qassem, the longtime deputy head of Hezbollah, has been a central figure in the Lebanese Shia militant group since its inception. Born in 1953 in Kfar Kila, a village in southern Lebanon, Qassem has played a critical role in shaping Hezbollah’s political and military strategies for decades. Following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Qassem is positioned to be a potential successor, as today, he was declared to be the new leader of Hezbollah.

Early life and role in founding Hezbollah

Naim Qassem began his ‘career’ in the 1970s as a member of the Imam Musa al-Sadr’s Amal Movement. His early involvement in Lebanese politics included helping establish the “Movement of the Dispossessed,” which advocated for the rights of marginalized Shia Muslims in Lebanon. He later became one of the founding members of Hezbollah in 1982, along with prominent figures like Abbas al-Mousaoui and Hassan Nasrallah.

Fluent in French and holding a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Lebanese University.

Rise within Hezbollah

Qassem was appointed as Hezbollah‘s deputy secretary-general in 1991.

He is also a member of Hezbollah’s Shura Council and oversees the group’s parliamentary and governmental activities. Throughout his tenure, Qassem has maintained close ties with Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer, and has been instrumental in Hezbollah’s military involvement in the Syrian civil war, as well as its longstanding conflict with Israel.

Political and military influence

Over the years, Qassem has been recognized as Hezbollah’s leading media personality and ideologue. In 2004, he authored Hezbollah: The Story from Within, a book detailing the group’s foundation, ideology, and political vision.

It has since been translated into several languages, further cementing his role as the intellectual face of Hezbollah.

In recent months, Qassem has played a crucial role in guiding Hezbollah’s military operations in the wake of escalating tensions with Israel. He has publicly stated that Hezbollah is fully prepared to engage in a broader conflict with Israel, should the situation in Gaza worsen.