Hezbollah has announced that the organization's deputy secretary general will be its new head.
Naim Qassem replaced longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut last month.
He is one of the few top Hezbollah leaders still alive, after Israel killed most of the group's leadership in a series of attacks.
The appointment comes as the conflict in Lebanon has intensified in recent weeks.
For more than 30 years, Naim Qassem was Hezbollah's deputy secretary general and one of the most recognizable faces in the group.
Hezbollah said he was elected by the Shura Council, following the group's rules. His whereabouts are unclear, however some reports indicate that he fled to Iran, where he is a major supporter of Hezbollah.
He was born in Beirut in 1953 to a family from southern Lebanon.
Qassem was one of the founding members of Hezbollah from that time This is Nasrallah's place death in an Israeli airstrike made three addresses on television.
In one speech, he said a ceasefire was the only way Israel could guarantee the return of its citizens to the north.
Announcing Qassem's promotion, Hezbollah released a statement describing him as “carrying a blessed banner in this march”.
This statement also honored the late Nasrallah and others who were killed in the conflict.
The new leadership of Hezbollah was expected to be transferred to pastor Hashem Safieddine, but on 22 October. it turned out that he had been killed in an Israeli air strike nearly three weeks ago.
Reacting to Qassem's appointment on social media, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described it as a “temporary appointment” and “not for a long time”.
Israel has carried out airstrikes across Lebanon in recent weeks, targeting what it says are Hezbollah operatives, infrastructure and weapons.
On Monday night, the Israeli army attacked in eastern Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley, which is an area where Hezbollah is strong.
The Ministry of Health in Lebanon said at least 60 people died and more than 50 were injured.
The Israeli military has yet to respond to the attack.
Israel has continued to attack Hezbollah after a year of chaos caused by the war in Gaza, saying it wants to ensure the safe return of border civilians who were fired by Hezbollah rockets, missiles and drones.
Last year, more than 2,700 people died and about 12,500 were injured in Lebanon, according to the country's health ministry.
Hezbollah attacked Israel with thousands of rockets and drones in the same period, and at least 59 people were killed in northern Israel and the Golan Heights.
Source link
