Israel has warned Naim Qasim, the new chief of Hezbollah. Israel says Hezbollah's new commander will not last long. If Qasim follows the path of his former leaders, he will be the shortest-serving chief in Hezbollah's history.
Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Galant warned of Qasim's appointment in writing, posting a photo of Qasim on social media platform X and writing, “Temporary appointment. Will not last long.”
On Tuesday, 32 days after the death of Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack, Hezbollah elected its new chief. Earlier Qasim was number 2 in Hezbollah. It was Qassim who addressed the Lebanese public after Nasrallah's death. According to UAE media house Irem News, he is currently in Iran.
Qasim left Beirut on October 5. He was taken in the plane of Iran's foreign minister. According to media reports, Iranian leaders summoned Qasim to Iran fearing an Israeli attack. Qasim has long been active in the organization and has often played the role of spokesperson in the conflict with Israel.
'The destruction of Hezbollah is necessary for the good of Lebanon'
Israel says that peace will come to Lebanon only when Hezbollah's military strength is eliminated. There is only one solution to the Lebanon problem, and that is to abolish this organization altogether.
Israel has also been successful in its campaign to eliminate Hezbollah. Israel has eliminated 5 of the organization's top 8 leaders. Before Qasim, Hashim Saifeedin's name was leading in the race to become the chief. Hashim was Nasrallah's cousin, but he too was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Hashim's death was confirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu himself. After the death of Nasrallah and Hashim, there has been an uproar in Hezbollah.
Who is Hezbollah's new chief Naeem Qasim?
Qasim was born in 1953 in the village of Kafar Qila in Lebanon. In the 1970s, Qasim was involved in the Shia Amal movement in Lebanon. Amal's job was to fight for Shia rights.
Qasim later became involved with the Hezbollah movement in the early 1980s and was one of the founding members of the organization.
Qasim has been teaching Shia Islamic education in Beirut for decades. Qasim became Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General in 1991. He is also a member of Hezbollah's Surah Council.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).