BEIRUT: Lebanese armed group Hezbollah named Naim Qassem as its new chief on Tuesday (Oct 29) however Israel mentioned his tenure can be “short-term”, an obvious risk after it killed his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut over a month in the past.
“Non permanent appointment. Not for lengthy,” Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant posted on X with a photograph of Qassem.
Earlier, Iran-backed Hezbollah mentioned in a written assertion that its Shura Council had elected Qassem, 71, in accordance with its established mechanism for selecting a secretary normal.
Qassem was appointed as Hezbollah’s deputy chief in 1991 by the armed group’s then secretary normal Abbas al-Musawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter assault the next 12 months.
Qassem remained in his function when Nasrallah grew to become chief, and has lengthy been one among Hezbollah’s main spokesmen, conducting interviews with international media, together with whereas cross-border hostilities with Israel raged over the past 12 months.
Nasrallah was killed on Sep 27 in an Israeli air assault on Beirut’s southern suburbs, often known as Dahiyeh, and senior Hezbollah determine Hashem Safieddine, thought of the almost definitely successor, was killed in Israeli strikes every week later.
