Israel warns Hezbollah’s new chief: Your tenure could be shortest in history

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has issued a stark warning regarding Naim Qassem, the newly appointed secretary general of Hezbollah.

“If Naim Qassem does not adjust Hezbollah's direction, his leadership may be the shortest in the organization's history,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry warned in response to his recent appointment as secretary general, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The ministry’s statement highlighted the potential brevity of Qassem’s tenure if he were to follow the same path as his predecessors, Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine.

Additionally, it underscored a firm stance, asserting, “There is no solution other than dismantling this organization as a military force.”

On October 29, Hezbollah confirmed Qassem's election, selecting him as the successor to Nasrallah. The group’s Shoura Council stated that the election process was conducted according to their established protocol for selecting a new leader.

Qassem, who is 71 years old, has a long-standing association with Hezbollah. He was appointed as the deputy chief in 1991 by the then-leader Abbas Al-Musawi, who was subsequently killed in an Israeli helicopter strike the following year.

Qassem retained his position when Nasrallah took over and has since been a prominent spokesperson for Hezbollah, frequently addressing foreign media amid ongoing cross-border tensions with Israel over the past year.

In the wake of Nasrallah’s death on September 27, Qassem has already delivered three televised addresses, including one on October 8, where he expressed the group's support for initiatives aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Lebanon. Notably, shortly after Nasrallah's passing, another senior Hezbollah figure, Hashem Safieddine, who was viewed as a potential successor, was also killed in Israeli strikes.

By Tamilla Hasanova