Israel says Hezbollah's new leader Naim Qassem won't last long

Lebanon’s Hezbollah named Naim Qassem as its new Secretary General on Tuesday, following the death of former leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

Qassem, who has served as Hezbollah’s deputy leader since 1991, was elected by the group’s Shura Council. At 71, Qassem is regarded as a foundational member of Hezbollah, with long-standing ties to Iran.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that Qassem was flown from Beirut to Tehran on October 5 aboard a plane belonging to Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, following the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Iranian officials have not confirmed the reports, but if Qassem is based in Iran, Hezbollah’s leadership in Lebanon would then be managed remotely.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted at Qassem’s vulnerability, posting on X shortly after his appointment that “Temporary appointment. Not for long.” In Hebrew, he adds: “The countdown has begun.”

In its official Arabic account on X, the Israeli government said: "His tenure in this position may be the shortest in the history of this terrorist organization if he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine."

It added that "there is no solution in Lebanon except to dismantle this organization as a military force."

Iranian leaders publicly congratulated Qassem on his appointment. President Masoud Pezeshkian praised his “defense of Lebanon’s sovereignty and ideals of the resistance front,” while Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf lauded Qassem’s role in supporting Hezbollah’s cause in Lebanon and the region.

Qassem appeared on camera on October 8 from an undisclosed location, days after Nasrallah’s death and amid reports that Hashem Safieddine, another potential Hezbollah leader, was targeted by Israel.

In his statement, Qassem referred to the Israel conflict as a “war about who cries first,” pledging Hezbollah’s continued resistance despite what he called “painful blows from Israel.”

Iranian ties and ideological alignment

Qassem’s ties to Iran have been central to his role in Hezbollah. An advocate of the Guardianship of the Jurist doctrine, he regards Iran as the backbone of Hezbollah’s resistance efforts in Lebanon.

He has emphasized that Hezbollah’s presence in the resistance movement depends on Iran’s strategic support amid international pressure.

Born in southern Lebanon’s Kfar Fila in 1953, Qassem has held various roles within Hezbollah and the broader resistance movement. He co-founded the Union of Muslim Students in Lebanon in the 1970s and later joined the Amal Movement, before shifting to Hezbollah after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Qassem has also published more than 12 books on religious and political topics, including Hezbollah: The Story from Within, detailing Hezbollah’s ideological foundations.

He has also authored books on Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his predecessor Rouhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic.

Education ties and sanctions

Qassem previously led Lebanon’s Islamic Religious Education Association and served as an advisor to Lebanon’s Al-Mustafa schools, which promote Shiite Islamic ideology and receive support from Iran’s Al-Mustafa International University. The US Treasury Department sanctioned Al-Mustafa International University in 2020, alleging its involvement in intelligence operations for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and recruitment for Iran’s Quds Force.

In 2018, the United States and its allies in the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE, sanctioned Qassem and froze his assets, accusing Hezbollah of destabilizing the region.