BEIRUT - Hezbollah’s Shura Council announced the election of Sheikh Naim Qassem as the new Secretary-General of Hezbollah on Tuesday, succeeding its martyred leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

In his first speech after the martyrdom of Sayyed Nasrallah, Sheikh Qassem reassured the Hezbollah loyalists of the goals being sought by the Resistance movement. 

He underscored the jihadist - moral and religious- responsibility of Hezbollah to protect achievements.

Naim Qassem highlighted the experience of the Resistance movement in facing all challenges and overcoming all difficulties under the inspiring guidance of the previous leaders over long years.

For example, he said, the inspiring speeches of these successive leaders - Sayyed Abdul Hussein Sharaf al-Din, Sayyed Musa al-Sadr, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, Sayyed Abbas al-Moussawi, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah – were characterized with firmness, rationality, and steadfastness in confronting the disastrous imperialism.

Sheikh Qassem was born in 1953.  His study of chemistry at the Lebanese University coincided with his seminary studies under Lebanon’s prominent religious scholars. As a young man, he was highly influenced by Martyr Sayyed Musa al-Sadr. 

He then contributed to the founding of Hezbollah in 1982. In 1991, he was elected as deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah and led its parliamentary bloc. 

Known for his encyclopedic knowledge, Sheikh Qassem has published about 20 books in different fields that have been translated into several languages. His most important work is “Hezbollah: Methodology, Experience, and the Future”. It embodies the essence of his Islamic political philosophy. 

Among his other notable books are “Imam Khomeini: Authenticity and Renewal”; “Society of Resistance: The Will to Martyrdom and Making Victory”; and “Youth, a Flame that Burns or Lights”.

Sheikh Naim Qassem also believes that the Zionist occupation regime needed Washington to fuel several wars in the region to perform its functional colonial role. This mission, he said, was done in partnership with major powers and the Security Council. Naim Qassem said Israel 
pursued this policy since its establishment in 1948.

“The goal of the American project is to expand the Zionist entity, legitimize it and harness the capabilities of the region to serve it,” Sheikh Qassem stated. 

He added, “Since Lebanon and its resistance constitute a permanent state of concern for it (Israel), due to its effective resistance that defeated it in May 2000, Lebanon’s power must be neutralized.”

Sheikh Qassem was referring to Hezbollah’s success in forcing Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon in May 2000.

The basis of the American project, according to Sheikh Qassem, is to disarm Hezbollah as a pivotal supporter of the Palestinian cause. 

He noted, “Whoever thinks that Lebanon’s fate will be orchestrated based on what America decides and what comforts Israel is mistaken.”
The Hezbollah official added, “The road is long. Lebanon’s complexities cannot be simplified.” 

This logic fully applies to the current reality.

In conjunction with the heroic operations and diplomatic steadfastness of Hezbollah fighters, undoubtedly, the upcoming days will witness achieving a new historical victory for the entire Lebanese nation. 
This will bring more misery to the ill-fated Netanyahu and other Zionist bloodsuckers. And with the policies that Sheikh Naim Qassem will follow the Zionists’ inevitable end will accelerate.