Gallant on new Hezbollah leader: ‘Temporary appointment, not for long’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant threatens newly selected Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, posting a picture of the cleric on X with the words, “Temporary appointment. Not for long.” In Hebrew, he adds: “The countdown has begun.”

Qassem was announced as the terror group’s new secretary-general today, a little more than a month after long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Expected successor Hashem Safieddine was killed by Israel days after Nasrallah.

Hezbollah has declared that the deputy secretary general will take over as the organization’s next leader.

Longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was murdered in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month, is replaced by Naim Qassem.

After Israel murdered the majority of Hezbollah’s leadership in a series of assaults, he is one of the few top leaders of the group still alive.

The appointment coincides with the current escalation of the Lebanon war.

Naim Qassem served as Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general for almost 30 years, making him one of the organization’s most recognizable figures.

According to Hezbollah’s regulations, he was chosen by the Shura Council. Although his current location is unknown, some rumors indicate he has escaped to Iran, the primary ally of Hezbollah.