FALCON POWERS – The Lebanese Hezbollah officially announced today, Tuesday, the election of Naeem Qassem as the new Secretary-General of the party, succeeding Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Hamas movement regarded this step as a “sign of recovery” for Hezbollah, while Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant threatened to assassinate Qassem, emphasizing that “the appointment is temporary, and the countdown has begun.”
Hezbollah stated in a press release today that “based on our faith in God Almighty, our commitment to authentic Muhammadan Islam, and our adherence to the principles and goals of Hezbollah, the Shura Council of Hezbollah has agreed to elect His Eminence Sheikh Naeem Qassem as the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, carrying the blessed banner in this mission. We ask God Almighty to guide him in this noble task of leading Hezbollah and its Islamic resistance.”
The same statement added, “We pledge to God Almighty and to the spirit of our supreme and dearest martyr, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (may he rest in peace), to the martyrs, the fighters of the Islamic resistance, and our steadfast, patient, and loyal people, that we will work together to achieve the principles and goals of Hezbollah’s mission and keep the flame of resistance shining and its banner raised until victory is achieved. God is predominant in His affair; indeed, God is Strong and Mighty.”
For its part, Hamas stated in a message: “We congratulate the brothers in Hezbollah in brotherly Lebanon on the election of His Eminence Sheikh Naeem Qassem as Secretary-General of the party, succeeding the martyred Secretary-General, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who lived as a fighter and died a martyr on the path to Jerusalem.”
The statement continued, “We consider this election a sign of the party’s recovery from the assaults on its leadership bodies, and we affirm our support for the new leadership of the party. We ask God Almighty to aid it in continuing the path of jihad and resistance, and to grant success to His Eminence Secretary-General Sheikh Naeem Qassem, and to protect him and guide his steps in leading Hezbollah and the Islamic resistance in the face of the Zionist enemy and its colonial ambitions in Lebanon, Palestine, and the region.”
Qassem had confirmed in a speech, his third since the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on the 15th of this month, that Israel is “an occupying entity that poses a real danger to the region and the world,” stressing that it considers Lebanon part of its “expansion project,” and that its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, “wants a new Middle East.”
Qassem mentioned that Hezbollah has moved to a “phase of inflicting pain on the enemy,” asserting the party’s “right to target any point in Israel.”
He stated, “Israel bets on the criminality that terrifies others and the absolute support from America.” He added that “the Palestinians have the right to take action to expel the occupation, shake its presence, and prevent its continuation.”
He noted that “the flood of Al-Aqsa came after 75 years of occupation, and this is a legitimate right,” pointing out that “in Lebanon, we cannot separate Lebanon from Palestine, nor the region from Palestine.”
Qassem declared, “Our missiles have reached Tel Aviv, and we have pushed two million Israelis into shelters, disrupting Ben Gurion Airport.”
He continued, “We are capable of targeting any point in the Israeli entity, and we will choose the appropriate point,” adding, “I say to the Israeli home front that the solution is a ceasefire.” He addressed the Israelis, saying, “I tell the Israelis not to believe what your officials declare, but look at your dead in the war.”
