Hezbollah in Lebanon to Select New Leader Soon, According to Deputy Chief

BEIRUT – Hezbollah will appoint a successor to its recently deceased secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah “at the earliest opportunity” and will persist in its struggle against Israel, according to the group’s deputy chief, Naim Qassem.

In a televised address, marking the first public statement from a Hezbollah official since Nasrallah’s death in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Qassem expressed commitment to leadership continuity. “We will choose a secretary-general for the party at the earliest opportunity… and we will fill the leadership and positions on a permanent basis,” he stated from an undisclosed location.

Qassem emphasized that Hezbollah’s fighters have been actively launching rockets into Israeli territory, with strikes reaching up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) deep. He asserted the group’s readiness to confront any potential Israeli ground invasion. “What we are doing is the bare minimum… We understand that the battle may be long. We will win as we did in the liberation of 2006 against the Israeli enemy,” he said, referencing the last major conflict between the two sides.

Calling for patience among supporters, Qassem noted that Hezbollah is responding to the loss of its leaders by appointing replacements. He claimed that Israel has not succeeded in undermining Hezbollah’s military capabilities, dismissing claims from Israeli media regarding the impact of recent strikes as unfounded.

He also criticized the United States for what he described as “limitless” support for Israel.