Hezbollah has declared that the deputy secretary general will take over as the organization’s next leader.
Longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month, is replaced by Naim Qassem.
After Israel murdered the majority of Hezbollah’s leadership in a series of attacks, he is one of the few senior leaders of the group still alive.
The appointment coincides with the recent escalation of the Lebanon conflict.
Naim Qassem served as Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general for almost 30 years, making him one of the organization’s most recognizable figures.
According to Hezbollah’s regulations, he was chosen by the Shura Council. Although his current location is unknown, some rumors indicate he has escaped to Iran, the primary ally of Hezbollah.
Declaring the elevation of Qassem, Hezbollah released a statement describing him as “bearing the blessed banner in this march.”.
The statement also honoured the late Nasrallah and others killed in the conflict.
Cleric Hashem Safieddine was supposed to take over as the new leader of Hezbollah, but on October 22, it was disclosed that he had been murdered over three weeks earlier in an Israeli airstrike.
In recent weeks, Israel has attacked Hezbollah’s operatives, infrastructure, and weaponry with airstrikes throughout Lebanon.
Hezbollah is heavily represented in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, where Israeli armed forces conducted airstrikes on Monday night.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, over 50 people were injured and at least 60 people died.
Regarding the attack, the Israeli military has not yet responded.
After nearly a year of cross-border fighting triggered by the conflict in Gaza, Israel launched an operation against Hezbollah, claiming it wanted to ensure the safe return of residents of border areas displaced by Hezbollah rocket, missile and drone attacks.
Over the past year, more than 2,700 people have been killed and nearly 12,500 injured in Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry.
At least 59 people have been murdered in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights as a result of Hezbollah’s operation, which involved thousands of rockets and drones.
(BBC)
