Iran-backed Hezbollah has appointed Naim Qassem as its new leader, following the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah on September 27 in an Israeli airstrike targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs. Qassem, who has served as deputy secretary general for over 30 years, spoke publicly for the first time since his election on October 8.
In his address, delivered from an undisclosed location, Qassem emphasized the ongoing conflict with Israel, stating that it is a “war about who cries first,” asserting that Hezbollah would not be the first to show vulnerability. Despite suffering significant losses from Israeli attacks, he claimed that the group’s capabilities remained intact.
Notably, Qassem also expressed support for parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire, marking a shift in the group’s stance by omitting any demands for a truce in Gaza as a prerequisite for stopping hostilities against Israel. His remarks came shortly after an Israeli strike was believed to have targeted another senior Hezbollah official, Hashem Safieddine, and just 11 days following Nasrallah’s death.
