What Naim Qassem's ascension as Hezbollah leader means for Iran, Lebanon
Unlike other prominent Hezbollah figures, Naim Qassem is not particularly close to Iran and lacks Nasrallah's charisma.
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Hezbollah group announced Tuesday the appointment of Naim Qassem as its new secretary general, more than a month after the killing of its former leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike in Beirut.
Iran-backed Hezbollah said in a statement that its Shura Council has chosen Qassem, 71, as its next secretary general. “Hezbollah's Shura Council agreed to elect His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem as Secretary-General of Hezbollah, carrying the blessed banner in this journey, asking God Almighty to guide him in this noble mission in leading Hezbollah and its Islamic resistance,” it read.
Hezbollah vowed “to work together to achieve Hezbollah's principles and the goals of its journey and to keep the flame of resistance shining and its banner raised until victory is achieved.”
The Shura Council is Hezbollah's highest body and tasked with supervising the group’s strategies and policies. It is headed by Hezbollah’s secretary general and includes six other members.
