Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has announced that it has promoted deputy leader Naim Qassem to the position of secretary-general, reports Al Jazeera.
Qassem replaces slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Beirut in late September by an Israeli strike.
The group’s Senior Council elected cleric Qassem as secretary-general, Hezbollah’s media office said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that Qassem is committed to prophet “Mohammed’s authentic Islam” and the core principles of the group.
In a statement, Hezbollah said Qassem was elected to the position due to his “adherence to the principles and goals of Hezbollah”.
It added that the group would “[ask] God Almighty to guide him in this noble mission in leading Hezbollah and its Islamic resistance”.
The cleric had long been the group’s second-in-command, serving as deputy chief to the late Nasrallah. He is one of the few leaders of the Iran-backed group to survive Israel’s recent onslaught on the organization, which saw some of its key figures assassinated.
However, responding to the announcement, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant wrote on X: “Temporary appointment. Not for long.”
Born in 1953 in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Qassem is a well-known member of the old guard. The 71-year-old Shiite cleric helped found Hezbollah in 1982, and has served seven consecutive terms as deputy secretary-general since 1991. He also oversees the group’s parliamentary activities.
Before his work with Hezbollah, he took part in “Harakat al Mahrumin,” or the Movement of the Dispossessed – a political group that later morphed into the Shiite Amal movement, a Hezbollah-allied group that is now led by speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih Berri. The cleric has long been under Israel’s radar.
Qassem was a chemistry teacher for six years before his days in Hezbollah. He often gave interviews on television and to newspapers. In 2015, he wrote the book, Hezbollah: The Story from Within, which told the story of the Hezbollah’s emergence as “resistance force” and political party that sought to counter Israeli occupation.
Bd-Pratidin English/ Afsar Munna
