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Hezbollah Appoints Naim Qassem as New Leader After Nasrallah’s Death
Hezbollah has named Naim Qassem as its new leader, following the death of long-time head Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike last month in Beirut. Qassem, who had served as the group’s deputy secretary general for over 30 years, steps into leadership amid escalating conflict in Lebanon.
Qassem’s appointment was confirmed by Hezbollah’s Shura Council in a statement, which honored the group’s former leader Nasrallah and other fallen members. His election comes after Israeli forces targeted and killed many of Hezbollah’s top leaders in recent strikes, leaving Qassem as one of the few surviving senior figures.
Though his current whereabouts remain unclear, some reports suggest that Qassem may have fled to Iran, Hezbollah’s key ally and supporter, following the intensified conflict in Lebanon. The leadership role was initially expected to go to cleric Hashem Safieddine, but he was also killed in an Israeli airstrike weeks earlier.