Who is Sheikh Naim Kassem? A ‘less’ popular Hezbollah chief steps up amid Israeli threats
Sheikh Naim Qassem has been appointed as Hezbollah's new leader following Hassan Nasrallah's death. A key figure since the 1970s, Qassem vowed to uphold Nasrallah's policies. Despite his long tenure, he is perceived as lacking Nasrallah's charisma and oratory skills.
Israel-Iran war: Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group on Tuesday said it has appointed Sheikh Naim Qassem as its new leader to replace slain leader Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant reacted to the announcement on social media platform X, and said that it was only a "Temporary appointment. Not for long."
Hezbollah's decision-making Shura Council elected Qassem, who had been Nasrallah's deputy leader for over three decades, as the new secretary-general, the group said in a statement.
The militant group vowed to continue with Nasrallah's policies “until victory is achieved”.
Who is Sheikh Naim Qassem?
Qassem was serving as the Hezbollah’s acting chief since Nasrallah's killing.
Qassem was born in the town of Kfar Fila in southern Lebanon. He studied chemistry at the Lebanese University and worked for several years as a chemistry teacher.
At the same time, he pursued religious studies and participated in founding the Lebanese Union for Muslim Students, an organisation that aimed to promote religious adherence among students.
Like Nasrallah, the white-turbaned cleric with a gray beard is one of the founding members of the Shiite political party and armed group, but he is widely seen as lacking the former leader's charisma and oratory skills.
Under Nasrallah, Qassem’s power within the group was limited.
He has often been the public face of the group. After Nasrallah went underground out of fear of being assassinated by Israel, appearing only in televised speeches, Qassem continued to show up at rallies and ceremonies, and he sat for interviews with foreign journalists.
On October 8, Qassem had made a defiant televised speech, claiming that the group's military capabilities are intact and Israelis will only suffer further as fighting continues.
Qassem has been sanctioned by the United States, which considers Hezbollah a terrorist group.
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In the 1970s, Qassem joined the Movement of the Dispossessed, a political organisation founded by Imam Moussa Sadr that pushed for greater representation of Lebanon's historically overlooked and impoverished Shiite community.
From 1991, he served as deputy secretary-general of the group, initially under Nasrallah's predecessor, Abbas Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack in 1992.
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First Published:30 Oct 2024, 10:52 AM IST
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