Sheikh Naim Qassem Takes Helm as Hezbollah’s New Leader

Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassem whose term was recently renewed has been elected as the new leader of the Lebanese armed group after Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli air attack on 27 September. During one of his first speeches after becoming the leader, Qassem described the battle with Israel as a survival one, mentioning that Hezbollah “will not start crying.” His appointment is appropriate at this time as the organization continues to stir up hostility with Israel while endorsing Palestinian issues.

Sheikh Naim Qassem started his leadership path in 1991 when he was promoted by then-Secretary general Abbas al-Musawi as deputy chief. After al-Musawi’s assassination in an Israeli helicopter strike in 1992, Qassem remained as deputy to Hassan Nasrallah. Omar Hassan Qassem was born in 1953 in Beirut to a family originally from the south of Lebanon Qassem began His political journey by joining the Lebanese Shia Amal Movement before he played a role in the formation of Hezbollah in 1982.

The new leader’s experience includes being in charge of Hezbollah’s parliamentary election campaigns since 1992 and being the author of a critical insider Shiite view of Hezbollah in 2005. Unlike his predecessors who used to wear a black turban to indicate their family tree from the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Qassem wore a white turban which is a change at the symbolic level in the organization.

In the recent televised 30-minute speech, Qassem did not use vehement rhetoric and showed a sophisticated view of the ongoing war with Israel recognizing painful strikes while emphasizing Hezbollah’s operational capacities. More notably, he endorsed the parliament speaker Nabih Berri’s cease-fire efforts, which he failed to qualify with prior demands that any ceasefire must include Gaza. This came over the weekend after another prominent figure, Hashem Safieddine, was hit by an Israeli attack.