Hezbollah Responds to Israeli Defense Minister’s Threats

After Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant threatened Hezbollah’s new secretary-general Naim Kassem, hinting that his days are numbered, a political leader of the group responded.

Hassan Fadlallah, Hezbollah’s representative in Lebanon’s parliament, considered these threats in a statement today, saying “It will do no good to discourage Qasim from continuing on his path.”

He added that the party’s general secretary “continues to confront the aggression with the rest of his brothers and lead this resistance to victory,” as he put it.

Israeli Defense Minister’s Threats

It comes after Gallant posted a picture of Qasim on his account on the X website yesterday, captioned, “Temporary appointment… won’t last long,” in an apparent reference to his murder.

An official page linked to the Israeli government on Facebook also expressed similar comments on Qassem’s official appointment as Hezbollah’s secretary-general, noting that “his tenure in this position could be the shortest in the organization’s history if he follows the path of his predecessors Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safi Al Din.

Naim Kassem’s Background

Hezbollah appointed Qassem as secretary-general after the decades he spent under Nasrallah, and as his deputy in the party, of which he was one of the founders, although he was not one of the names expected for the post.

But Israel’s killing of Nasrallah’s cousin Hashem Safi al-Din, who was expected to be the party’s leader, in a raid in the al-Marijeh area of Beirut’s southern suburbs a few weeks ago, along with other prominent names, appeared to be narrow options.

Qassem’s Public Appearances

Since Nasrallah’s assassination on September 27, Qassem has given three speeches this month via veil, with him expected to speak again on Wednesday.

His last appearance was in a video speech on October 15, in which he insisted that his party’s capabilities were “good” and that there were no “empty positions” in Hezbollah’s structure, and that all leaders and officials had been replaced.

Qassem’s Education and Career

It is worth noting that the 71-year-old is fluent in French and English and has done postgraduate studies in chemistry as well as religious studies under senior Shia scholars in Lebanon.

He also worked as a chemistry teacher for years. One of his students, a well-known comedian, described him as a chemistry teacher in French at Hammana High School in East Beirut, noting that he was generally quiet.

In addition, the white-bearded leader assumed responsibility for managing Lebanon’s official files, following the work of party ministers and deputies, in addition to the files of municipalities and unions, which officially form the backbone of Hezbollah.