Sheikh Naeem Qasim has been elected as the new leader of the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah. Qasim will replace former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on September 27 this year. Sheikh Naim Qasim released a video on October 8 in which he said, “Whoever gives up the war between Israel and Hezbollah first, I guarantee that Hezbollah will not give up.”
Qasim’s video message comes days after senior Hezbollah leader and potential successor to Hassan Nasrallah Hashim Safieddine was targeted by Israeli attacks. Let us tell you that on October 23, Hezbollah confirmed the death of Safieddin in an Israeli attack. The UAE Arem News website reported on October 21 that Sheikh Naim Qasim left Beirut on October 5 on a plane carrying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Algazi for a state visit to Lebanon and Syria. The report quoted sources as saying that Iran’s supreme leader had ordered Qasim to leave Beirut and go to a safe location out of fear of being assassinated by Israel.
Who is Sheikh Naeem Qasim?
On Hezbollah’s website, Qasim is described as one of the group’s earliest members. He has played an important role in Hezbollah since its founding and is considered a key strategist within the organization. Sheikh Naim Qasim also belongs to a network of influential Shia leaders such as Abbas Mousavi, Subi Tufali, Mohammad Yazbek, Ibrahim Shin Amin Said and former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Qassim received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Lebanese University in the 1970s.
In addition, he studied religious subjects under the influential Islamic scholar Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah. In 1974, he became president of the Islamic Religious Education Association, a position he held until 1988. Qasim is also a co-founder of the Lebanese Muslim Students Alliance. After the assassination of Abbas Mousavi in 1991, Sheikh Naim Qasim was elected Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah. He also holds a senior position in the Shura Council, Hezbollah’s executive body. Here he oversees government and paramilitary operations.
Qasim’s involvement in Hezbollah’s political and operational wings underscores his influence within the group. Sheikh Naim Qasim, 71, is known as Hezbollah’s “number two” after Hassan Nasrallah. In addition to his leadership roles, Qasim is also known for his writing. Sheikh Naim Qasim, who speaks fluent French, wrote a book called “Hezbollah: The Inside Story” detailing the formation of Hezbollah and its ideology. The book has been translated into six languages including Arabic, English and Farsi, demonstrating its international influence. Qasim is fluent in multiple languages, including French, English, Arabic, and Farsi.
