Hezbollah has elected Naim Qassem as its new interim leader following the killing of its long-time chief, Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, according to media reports.
It is expected that Seyed Hashim Safiuddin would be next leader of the group.
The organisation confirmed Nasrallah’s death on Saturday. Prior to this appointment, Qassem served as Hezbollah’s deputy leader.
The Israeli military reported that during an operation named “New Order,” they dropped 80 bombs, each containing one ton of explosives, on Hezbollah’s central headquarters in the Dahieh area near Beirut.
The airstrikes resulted not only in Nasrallah’s death but also claimed the lives of his daughter, Zainab, and Hezbollah’s southern front commander, Ali Al-Kurki.
Israeli forces intensified their bombing once they confirmed that Nasrallah was in a bunker, leading to the fatal strike.
Nasrallah’s death marks a major blow not only to Hezbollah but also to its alleged backers in Iran. He was a leading figure in the Tehran-backed “Axis of Resistance”, helping to project Iranian influence across the Middle East.
Israel has killed several top Hezbollah commanders, including Fuad Shukr, Ibrahim Aqil, Ibrahim Mohammed Kobeissi, and Mohammed Srur, in a series of targeted strikes on the movement’s stronghold in Beirut.
Lebanese health authorities confirmed six dead and 91 wounded in the initial attack on Friday.
The toll appeared likely to rise much higher. There was no word on casualties from the later strikes. More than 700 people were killed in strikes over the past week, authorities said.
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In June, Qaseem told Iran’s Mehr News Agency that Hezbollah would do the same if Israel expanded the war. He warned Israel against any “foolish” acts against Lebanon.
“We will never surrender in the face of threats such as the expansion of war. This is because we are determined to continue supporting Gaza. We will not stop our operations against Israel as long as occupiers continue massacres and acts of aggression in Gaza,” he said.
(The earlier version of the story incorrectly mentioned Naim Qassem as the new Hezbollah leader, however, he has been appointed as the interim leader of the group. The error is regretted.)
