Lebanon's Hezbollah says it has chosen Naim Kassem as its new leader, a replacement for Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in September in an Israeli airstrike. Kassem, who'd been Nasrallah's deputy for more than three decades, has served as the militant group's acting leader since Nasrallah's death on Sept. 27, reports the AP. His appointment to replace Nasrallah was announced Tuesday. Hezbollah said in a statement that its decision-making Shura Council elected Kassem, 71, a founding member of the militant group established following Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, as the group's new secretary-general. Hezbollah vowed to continue with Nasrallah's policies "until victory is achieved."
Kassem has given several televised speeches vowing that Hezbollah will fight on despite a string of setbacks. Kassem isn't seen as being as charismatic or as good of an orator as his predecessor, but he's been the public face of the group, sitting for interviews with foreign reporters, popping up in public even after Nasrallah went into hiding, and even writing a 2005 book about Hezbollah's history—"a rare 'insider's look'" into the militant group, per Euronews.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel, drawing retaliation, after Hamas' surprise attack out of Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, triggered the war there. Iran, which backs both groups, has also traded fire with Israel on two occasions. The tensions with Hezbollah boiled over last month, as Israel unleashed a wave of heavy airstrikes and killed Nasrallah and most of his senior commanders. Israel launched a ground invasion into Lebanon at the start of October. (More Hezbollah stories.)
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