Hezbollah Appoints New Leader After Nasrallah’s Death

Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, announced on Wednesday that it has chosen a new leader to replace Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September.

The new leader, Naim Qassem, has served as Nasrallah’s deputy for decades and has also been a key spokesperson for the group this year as Hezbollah’s conflict with Israel has intensified.

Nasrallah was killed on September 27, and the man considered his most likely successor, was killed in another strike just weeks later.

Israel swiftly threatened Qassem and urged him to cease hostilities in a statement.

“His tenure in this position may be the shortest in the history of this terrorist organization if he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine,” the Israeli government’s Arabic account wrote on X.

“There is no solution in Lebanon except to dismantle this organization as a military force,” it added.

Qassem’s appointment comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, who have exchanged several direct attacks in recent weeks. Hezbollah has long served as an Iranian proxy group and has endured months of airstrikes by Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, on Monday to “use all available tools” in response to Israel’s strategic airstrikes against the country despite a warning from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to stand down or pay a “heavy price.”

“[Iran] will use all available tools to deliver a definite and effective response to the Zionist regime,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei declared during a televised news conference, according to Reuters.

jets struck 20 targets across Iran early Saturday during the operation, named “Days of Repentance.” The operation unfolded with an initial assault on Iran’s air defense systems, followed by targeted strikes by more than 100 airplanes on missile and drone bases and weapons production sites.

President Biden told reporters Saturday that he met with intelligence community officials following the Israeli strikes, saying in a statement, “my hope is this is the end.” 

Reuters contributed to this report.

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