Iran’s Supreme Leader appoints Naim Qassem as representative in Lebanon

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has appointed Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem as his official representative in Lebanon.

Qassem succeeds the late Hassan Nasrallah, the former Hezbollah chief who previously served as Khamenei’s envoy in the country, Caliber.Az reports via Iranian media.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut in September 2024. Following his death, Hezbollah appointed Qassem as its secretary-general, despite him not being the widely anticipated choice for the role.

Qassem’s appointment as Khamenei’s representative comes in the wake of another high-profile assassination by Israel, which targeted Hashem Safi al-Din—Nasrallah’s cousin and a leading candidate to succeed him—in an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Qassem, aged 71, holds an advanced degree in chemistry and is proficient in both French and English. Before rising through the ranks of Hezbollah, he worked for several years as a chemistry teacher.

By Aghakazim Guliyev