Hezbollah chooses Naim Kassem as new leader after Nasrallah’s death

Hezbollah has chosen a new leader, the militant group announced in a statement on Tuesday.

Naim Kassem served for thirty years as deputy to Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September. He has been the militant group’s acting leader since Nasrallah’s death.

Hezbollah vowed to continue Nasrallah’s policies “until victory is achieved.”

Kassem was appointed deputy head of the Lebanese militant group in 1991 by Abbas al-Musawi, the then leader. He remained in his role when Nasrallah became leader after al-Musawi was assassinated the following year.

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Although widely believed to lack the former leader’s charisma and eloquence, Kassem has often been the public face of the group, continuing to appear at rallies and ceremonies after Nasrallah went into hiding for fear of being assassinated by Israel. He has also conducted interviews with foreign journalists.

In 2005, Kassem wrote a book on the history of Hezbollah, which was considered at the time a rare “insider’s look” into the organization.

After Nasrallah’s death, it was widely expected that Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah who oversaw the group’s political affairs, would become the new leader – but he too was killed in an Israeli attack in early October.

Qassem wears a white turban, unlike Nasrallah and Safieddine, whose black turbans signify their status as descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.