Hezbollah has officially named deputy leader Naim Qassem as the successor to Hassan Nasrallah, who died last month in an Israeli airstrike.
Qassem, who has been a longstanding deputy to Nasrallah, has been acting as the militant group’s leader since the attack.
In a statement, the Iran-backed organization announced, “Hezbollah’s Shura Council has agreed to elect Sheikh Naim Qassem as the secretary general of Hezbollah,” marking the formal decision made over a month after Nasrallah’s death.
Hezbollah reaffirmed its commitment to continuing Nasrallah’s policies “until victory is achieved.”
Hassan Nasrallah, the former leader of Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli attack on Beirut in late September. Since then, multiple senior Hezbollah officials have also lost their lives in successive Israeli strikes on the outskirts of the city.
Independent Iranian media reports indicate that there is currently no confirmed information regarding Sheikh Naim Qassem’s whereabouts.
The selection of a new leader comes amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, heightening fears of further destabilization in the region.
