Hezbollah named its new leader, a long-serving deputy, after Israel killed his predecessor

• Hezbollah connected Tuesday named Naim Qassem arsenic its main aft longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed.
• Qassem, a founding personnel of Hezbollah, was has been its lawman for much than 30 years.
• He has published books, ran a now-deleted YouTube channel, and gave interviews to NBC News.

Hezbollah announced a caller leader, Naim Qassem, aft Israel killed some its longtime chief, Hassan Nasrallah, and nan personification who had been expected to win him.

Qassem was named Hezbollah's secretary-general connected Tuesday.

He was nan lawman leader of nan Lebanon-based militant group, and had been for decades.

Qassem helped recovered Hezbollah successful nan 1980s and was first made its lawman leader successful 1991 nether Abbas al-Musawi.

He did not return complete arsenic leader erstwhile al-Musawi was killed successful 1992, and remained lawman each done Nasrallah's 32-year stint.

Qassem has often been a nationalist look of nan group, handling high-stakes appearances successful nan world media, including interviews pinch NBC News. He besides utilized to tally a YouTube channel, which was unopen down.

Qassem wrote books including "Hizbullah: The Story from Within," which was on waste by Amazon until its removal successful 2019.

Nasrallah was killed past month erstwhile Israel conducted a targeted onslaught connected Hezbollah's cardinal office successful Beirut.

Also killed was his cousin, Hashem Safieddine, who was successful statement to win Nasrallah up of Qassem.

It was portion of nan latest speech of hostilities betwixt Israel and Hezbollah, which started firing astatine Israel connected October 8, 2023, nan time aft nan Hamas terror attacks connected Israeli territory.

The business escalated past period aft a bid of pager explosions successful Lebanon, which were followed by an Israeli aerial bombing campaign, which included nan targeting of Hezbollah's elder officials.

In nan absence of Nasrallah and Safieddine, Qassem emerged arsenic nan militant group's main voice, giving a bid of televised addresses.

In one specified appearance, he said Hezbollah had adopted a "new calculation" to inflict symptom connected Israel if it didn't work together to a cease-fire.

In 2018, nan US sanctioned Qassem, holding him responsible for acting for aliases connected behalf of Hezbollah, which nan US Department of State has designated a overseas violent organization.

Deeply captious of nan US, Qassem described America arsenic being "soaked from caput to toed successful nan aggression and genocide alongside Israel" during a reside astatine a ceremonial past month.

This was followed by a chant of "Death to America," according to nan Middle East Media Research Institute.

He takes complete astatine a perilous clip for nan system successful Lebanon, wherever Hezbollah has important power connected nan elected government.

The United Nations Development Program estimated past week that nan Lebanese system could statement by 9.2% if nan fighting betwixt Lebanon and Israel continues done to nan extremity of nan year.