Hezbollah announced that Sheikh Naim Qassem has been elected as the movement’s new secretary-general, succeeding Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in an Israeli raid on Beirut’s southern suburbs last month.
In a statement, Hezbollah said: “In accordance with the approved mechanism for electing the secretary-general, Hezbollah’s Shura Council agreed to elect His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem as secretary-general, carrying the blessed banner in this journey, asking God Almighty to guide him in this noble mission.”
The party pledged to “keep the flame of resistance burning and its banner raised until victory is achieved.”
Qassem, who has served as deputy secretary-general since 1991, is a veteran figure within the Lebanese resistance movement and has been deeply involved in its activities since its inception.
He was appointed in his previous role under former leader Abbas Al-Musawi, who was assassinated in an Israeli helicopter attack in 1992. Qassem remained in the position when Nasrallah took over the group’s leadership.
Qassem’s election comes after the assassination of Hashem Safieddine, who was widely seen as Nasrallah’s likely successor. Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut’s Dahieh neighbourhood earlier this month, as confirmed by Hezbollah
Born in 1953 in Beirut’s Basta Al-Tahta area, Qassem’s family originates from Kfar Fila in southern Lebanon, a Shia-majority region. He began his political career in the Amal Movement, founded in 1974, but left in 1979 following Iran’s Islamic Revolution, which profoundly influenced his political ideology.
