Naim Mohammad Qassem (born February 1953) is a Lebanese Shia cleric and politician who became Hezbollah’s secretary-general on 29 October 2024, the fourth person to hold the position. He participated in the founding of

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

in 1982, and previously served as the first deputy secretary-general from 1991 to 2024. Born in Kfar Kila, Qassem received a master's degree in chemistry from the Lebanese University in 1977. He worked as a chemistry teacher, before joining Amal, a political movement led by

Musa al-Sadr Musa Sadr al-Din al-Sadr (; ; 4 June 1928 – disappeared 31 August 1978) was a Lebanese-Iranian Shia Muslim cleric, politician and revolutionary In Lebanon. He founded and revived many Lebanese Shia organizations, including schools, charities ...

. He studied theology under Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. Following the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

, he helped found Hezbollah. In 1991, he was appointed as deputy secretary-general under secretary-general Abbas al-Musawi, a role he retained under Al-Musawi's successor, Hassan Nasrallah. He led the party's electoral campaigns, and held a leading intellectual and ideological role. Following the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024, he was appointed acting secretary-general. A month later in October, Qassem was elected as secretary-general after Nasrallah's possible successor Hashem Saffiedine was assassinated by Israeli strikes.

Early life and education

Qassem was born in February 1953 in Kfar Fila, into a Shiite family with origins in the town. He grew up in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. He studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and his teacher was Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. He received a bachelors and a master's degree in

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

from the Lebanese University, completing his studies in 1977.

Career

Qassem began his career employed as a chemistry teacher for a few years. Qassem was one of the founders of the Lebanese Union of Muslim Students that was established in the 1970s. He joined the Amal Movement when it was led by

, but left in 1979. Qassem was the head of the Association for Islamic Religious Education from 1974 to 1988. He also served as the advisor for al-Mustafa schools. Qassem participated in the foundational activities of

. In 1991, he became the deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah. Abbas al-Musawi appointed him to this role, which he retained when al-Musawi was succeeded by Hassan Nasrallah in 1992. Qassem has handled Hezbollah's political campaigns for parliamentary elections since the 1992 Lebanese general election, which was their first time participating. In the years leading up to 2024, Qassem has "long been one of Hezbollah's leading spokesmen".Naim Qassem Appointed as New Hezbollah Leader
I24 News, 29 October 2024.

Secretary-General of Hezbollah

Qassem was elected

secretary-general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

of Hezbollah on 29 October 2024, following the Israeli assassination of the previous leader Hassan Nasrallah in the 2024 Hezbollah headquarters strike and his assumed successor Hashem Safieddine on 3 October.

Works and views

In 2002, Qassem published a book, ''Hizbullah: The Story from Within'', which was revised and updated four times, mostly recently in 2010. In August 2011, Qassem attended a ceremony for the eighth edition of his book, where he made the statement that "Billions of dollars have been offered to us to rebuild the deprived south Lebanon and in return to surrender our arms and stop the work of the resistance. But we told them we're not in need f their moneyand the resistance will go on regardless of the consequences." In 2009, Mustafa Badreddine replaced Imad Mughniyeh as the head of Hezbollah's military activities. Qassem did not support the move, favoring his relative Samir Shehade.

Personal life

Qassem is married and has six children.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Qassem, Naim 1953 births Living people Anti-Zionism in Lebanon Amal Movement politicians Hezbollah founders Israeli–Lebanese conflict Lebanese University alumni Lebanese writers People from Nabatieh District Qutbists Secretaries-general of Hezbollah