Lebanon’s Hezbollah has named Naim Qassem as the interim leader after the death of Hassan Nasrallah in Israeli airstrikes in Beirut.
Nasrallah was killed in the strikes along with his daughter Zeinab and senior leader Ali Karaki. Qassem, a longstanding member of the organization, will temporarily succeed him. It is anticipated that Hashem Safi al-Din, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council and a member of the Jihad Council responsible for military operations, will be appointed as the permanent leader. Safi al-Din’s familial connection to Nasrallah has sparked further speculation about his succession.
The Israeli military confirmed it targeted and killed Nasrallah at Hezbollah’s central headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs. This operation, according to the Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, also resulted in the death of another senior leader, Ali Karaki.
The Israeli military stated, “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.” Following the initial attack on Hezbollah’s command centre on Friday, additional airstrikes occurred on Saturday, heightening tensions and fears of a wider regional conflict.
Adraee’s Arabic statement detailed that the strikes aimed at Hezbollah’s underground headquarters occurred while leadership was coordinating actions against Israel.
Following Friday’s attack, conflicting reports surfaced about Nasrallah’s fate. A source close to Hezbollah and Iran’s Tasnim news agency initially claimed Nasrallah was safe. However, a senior Iranian official later stated that Tehran was verifying his status. Further Israeli airstrikes targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs and other Lebanese areas on Saturday.
