Who is Naim Qassem, New Hezbollah Chief Replacing Hassan Nasrallah?

New Delhi: Following the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah by Israeli forces, Naim Qassem has been elected the new chief of the Lebanese militant group. Hassan Nasrallah was eliminated in an Israeli air strike in Beirut on September 27. 

71-year-old Naim Qassem has served as Hezbollah's deputy secretary general. As per media reports, Qassem is believed to oversee part of Hezbollah’s educational network and has also been involved in overseeing its parliamentary activities. The militant group, in a written statement, said that its Shura Council had elected Qassem in accordance with its established mechanism for choosing a secretary general. Following Nasrallah's killing, reports suggested that senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine would take over the reign. Howevere, he too was killed in Israeli strikes a week later.

Who is Naim Qassem?

Naim Qassem had been the acting head of the Iran-backed militant group since the killing of Nasrallah. The 71-year-old was appointed as Hezbollah's deputy chief in 1991, the year before Nasrallah took the helm. Qassem was appointed as deputy chief by the armed group's then-secretary general Abbas al-Musawi, who was eliminated by an Israeli helicopter attack the following year.

Post Nasrallah's assassination, Qassem has given three televised addresses, including one on October 8 in which he said the armed group supported efforts to reach a ceasefire for Lebanon. Qaseem was born in Beirut in 1953 in the town of Kfar Fila in southern Lebanon. He studied Chemistry at the Lebanese University before working for several years as a chemistry teacher. He led the Association for Islamic Religious Education from 1974-1988 and was also the founding member of the Lebanese Union of Muslim Students. Later, Qassem rose to the level of Secretary General after Abbas al-Musawi's assassination in 1992. A prolific writer, Qaseem is the authour of "Hizbullah: The Story from Within"
 

Naim Qassem Had Fled Lebanon to Evade 'Assassination'

Naim Qassem had fled Lebanon for Iran amid threats of assassination from Israel after Tel Aviv eliminated its top leaders including Hassan Nasrallah and his cousin Hashem Safieddin. As per media reports, Qassem left Beirut on October 5 for Syrian capital Damascus and then flew to Tehran for safety.