by Mick the Ram

Naim Qassem. who for more than 30 years was Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, has been appointed the group’s new leader.

He is promoted to the number one spot following long-term head Hassan Nasrallah’s death in an Israeli strike on a southern suburb of Beirut at the end of September.

A spate of assassinations in carefully planned attacks has accounted for most of the Hezbollah’s leadership leaving Qassem as the natural choice and he remains one of the group’s most recognised faces.

Since the former leader was killed, Qassem has made three defiant televised addresses, but speaking in more formal Arabic than the colloquial Lebanese which was favoured by Nasrallah.

He is thought to have fled to Iran, which is of course Hezbollah’s main supporter, and he is expected to run operations from there.

The appointment comes as the conflict in Lebanon continues to intensify and in a sinister reaction, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant posted a photo of the Qassem on social media, together with the comment: “Temporary appointment. Not for long.”

Influenced by Islamic Revolution

Since Nasrallah’s death, Hezbollah has been floundering and they will hope that this appointment can galvanise the group.

The 71-year-old Qassem began his political career with the Amal Movement in the mid-1970’s, but having been influenced by the Islamic Revolution, he left that organisation at the end of the decade.

One of the founders

He is one of the religious scholars who founded Hezbollah with funding and guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in 1982, and has a long history in Shia political activism.

Even though he has long been referred to as the “number two” the leadership was actually expected to be passed to cleric and Nasrallah’s cousin, Hashem Safieddine, but last week it was revealed he too had been killed in an air strike.

Group’s statement

In a statement from Hezbollah it was announced that Qassem had been elected by the Shura Council, in accordance with the group’s strict rules and would adhere to the principles and goals of the group.

They described their new leader as “bearing the blessed banner in this march” and asked for “God Almighty to guide him in this noble mission in leading Hezbollah and its Islamic resistance.”  

Stepping up hostilities

Israel turned their attention to Hezbollah after almost a year of cross-border hostilities, which had been sparked by the war in Gaza. At least 59 Israelis had lost their life in northern Israel after a series of rockets and drones had been launched at them and into the occupied Golan Heights.

Air strikes have been carried out by the Israelis across Lebanon in recent weeks, targeting what it says are Hezbollah’s operatives, infrastructure and weapons. More than 2,700 people have been killed and nearly 12,500 injured.