Hezbollah has chosen its new leader after about a month. Naeem Qasim will take command of the group after the death of Hassan Nasrallah. Israel has killed dozens of Hezbollah leaders and commanders in the past two months. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Tuesday that the appointment of new Hezbollah chief Naim Qasim is temporary and that he will not remain in office for long.
Gallant has indicated in one of his posts on X that the new Hezbollah chief is now targeting Israel. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah had held this position for nearly three decades and was killed by Israel in an airstrike last month.
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Temporary appointment. Not for long. pic.twitter.com/ONu0GveApi
– Yoav Gallante (@yoavgallant) October 29, 2024
Naim Qasim has also been among the founding members of Hezbollah and also has experience working with Nasrallah.
“The countdown begins”
Yoav Gallant wrote in another post in Hebrew: “The countdown begins.” Gallant’s response came after Hezbollah’s statement informing him of Qassim’s appointment as chief. Earlier this month, an Israeli strike killed Hashem Safieddin, head of Hezbollah’s executive council and who was initially considered Nasrallah’s successor. There is speculation in Gallant’s post that Israel has begun planning to kill Naeem Qasim as well.
Who is Naeem Qasim?
Qasim, 71, was born in Beirut in 1953. His family came to Beirut after being displaced from the village of Kafar Fila, near the Israeli-occupied Palestinian border. He is currently one of the senior leaders of Hezbollah and is also a founding member of the group formed in 1982. Qasim has been one of the main spokespersons for Hezbollah and has given numerous interviews to foreign media.
