BEIRUT, LEBANON — On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, Iran-aligned Hezbollah announced the appointment of Naeem Qassem as its new Secretary-General, succeeding Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Beirut on September 27.

Prior to Nasrallah's death, Qassem served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the group, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and several other nations. Although he was not the frontrunner for the position, attention had been on the party's Executive Council chief, Hashem Safieddine. However, Safieddine was also killed in an Israeli airstrike on October 8.

On September 30, Qassem had indicated that a new Secretary-General would be chosen "as soon as possible," stating that the options were "clear" and would make the decision straightforward. He asserted that the structure of Hezbollah "had not been affected" by the Israeli assassinations, as every leader killed has a deputy ready to step in immediately.

Following nearly a year of cross-border shelling between Hezbollah and Israel, the latter intensified airstrikes on various targets in Lebanon starting September 23, announcing "limited" ground incursions.

In response to the announcement of Qassem’s appointment, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tweeted that the position is "temporary and will not last long." He confirmed that Israel would continue its military operations to achieve one of its objectives: to return tens of thousands who have been displaced from northern areas due to ongoing clashes with Hezbollah.