Hezbollah Announces Sheikh Naim Qassem as Secretary-General

By Al Mayadeen English

29 Oct 2024 10:56

Hezbollah declares that its Shura council has elected Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem as Secretary-General.

Hezbollah's Shura Council announced that it had elected Sheikh Naim Qassem as the party's Secretary-General, succeeding Martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. This decision, "grounded in the principles of true Islam and the steadfast ideals of Hezbollah, follows the party's established procedures for selecting the Secretary-General," according to Hezbollah's statement. 

Hezbollah expressed its commitment to upholding the legacy of Sheikh Qassem's predecessor, describing the election as part of a sacred mission. "We pledge to God Almighty, to the soul of our beloved martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (may God be pleased with him), to the martyrs, to the Islamic resistance fighters, and to our resilient and loyal people, to work together to fulfill Hezbollah's principles and goals."

Hezbollah emphasized the organization's dedication to carrying forward the cause of resistance. The Shura Council expressed its hope for Sheikh Qassem's success in leading Hezbollah, entrusting him with the responsibility of preserving the movement's resistance and raising its banner until victory.

Who is Sheikh Naim Qassem

Sheikh Naim Qassem, born in 1953 in Beirut, Lebanon, is from the village of Kfar Fila in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region of southern Lebanon.

He holds a degree in chemistry in French and worked as a teacher for several years. Alongside his studies in natural sciences, he pursued religious education in a seminary, earning a degree in jurisprudence and Islamic fundamentals.

Sheikh Qassem is recognized as part of the founding generation of Shiite Islamic cultural and activist organizations in Lebanon. He was active in groups that eventually formed Hezbollah, including the Lebanese Union of Muslim Students, and played a significant role in the Amal Movement founded by Imam Musa al-Sadr.

In 1982, following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Sheikh Qassem was among Hezbollah's founding core. He has been elected to Hezbollah's Shura Council three times, managing various portfolios, including the Executive Council and educational activities. 

In 1991, Sheikh Qassem became Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General, serving under Secretary-General Abbas al-Moussawi. He remained in this role until his election as the party's Secretary-General following the martyrdom of Sayyed Nasrallah. Over the years, Sheikh Qassem has led Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc in Lebanon and overseen its governmental and institutional affairs.

Sheikh Qassem is also the author of several political, cultural, and educational books, including a book on Hezbollah's political and military experience. Following the assassination of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah by Israeli forces, Sheikh Qassem delivered several speeches defining the course of the resistance and issuing significant political and military messages to both the pro-Resistance audience and Hezbollah's enemies.

Hezbollah announces martyrdom of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

On September 28, Hezbollah released a statement announcing the martyrdom of its Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, joining a handful of Resistance leaders who dedicated their lives for the sake of fighting against the Israeli occupation.

"Israel" had earlier launched a series of heavy airstrikes on residential neighborhoods in the Southern Suburb of Beirut. The IOF announced that the goal of the attack was the assassination of Sayyed Hassan, and Israeli Army Radio pointed out that F-35 aircraft carried out the airstrikes using bunker-buster bombs.

The Islamic Resistance began its statement with the verse: Let those fight in the way of Allah, who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter; and whoever fights in the way of Allah, and then is slain, or he subdues [the enemy], soon We shall give him a great reward. [Surah al-Nisa', verse 74]

"His eminence, the leader of the Resistance, the pious servant of God, has passed on to God as a great leader, a brave martyr, joining the martyrs of Karbala...on the path of prophets," the statement read.

"Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, joined his great, eternal companions, whose journey he led for over 30 years through victory after victory" after succeeding Sayyed Abbas al-Mousawi in 1992, leading them in "the liberation of Lebanon in 2000 and the Divine Victory of 2006," and up to the battle of support for Palestine and the oppressed people of Palestine.

Hezbollah extended its condolences to the Islamic nation and the steadfast people of Lebanon, and all the free and oppressed people of the world, congratulating Sayyed Hassan on achieving the greatest of divine gifts, through which he was granted his greatest wish, that of a martyr on the path to Palestine and al-Quds.