Naim Qassem Takes Over As Hezbollah Chief After Nasrallah's Death

Hezbollah has elected deputy secretary general Naim Qassem as the chief on Tuesday weeks after Hassan Nasrallah was killed during intense Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

Qassem, a longtime deputy to Nasrallah, has served as the militant group’s acting leader since Nasrallah’s death. His appointment to replace Nasrallah was announced on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

The group said in a statement that Hezbollah's decision-making Shura Council elected Kassem, who had been Nasrallah's deputy leader for over three decades, as the new secretary-general. The stated, "in accordance with its established mechanism for choosing a secretary general"."

Hezbollah vowed to continue with Nasrallah's policies “until victory is achieved”.

In a recent speech, Qassem highlighted the militant group’s support for efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon.

This development comes just days after reports indicated that Qassem may have fled to Iran due to fears of assassination, following the death of Hashem Safieddine—Nasrallah’s cousin and a potential successor—who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut earlier this month.

According to a report from UAE-based Erem News on October 21, Qassem departed Beirut on October 5 aboard an aircraft that had been used by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a state visit to Lebanon and Syria.

Highlights From Naim Qassem's Life

• Naim Qassem has been a key figure in Hezbollah for over 30 years, appointed deputy chief in 1991 by then-secretary general Abbas al-Musawi.

• His political journey began with the Lebanese Shia Amal Movement, which he left in 1979 following Iran's Islamic Revolution.

• Qassem participated in discussions that led to the formation of Hezbollah, supported by Iran's Revolutionary Guards after Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

• Since Hezbollah's first parliamentary elections in 1992, he has served as the general coordinator of the group's election campaigns.

• Qassem has remained influential under the leadership of Hassan Nasrallah, often representing Hezbollah in interviews with foreign media, particularly during recent cross-border conflicts with Israel.