Lebanon’s Hezbollah has appointed Naim Qassem as its new Secretary-General following the death of former leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb last month.

Qassem, 71, was chosen by Hezbollah’s Shura Council, the group confirmed in a statement, as Reuters reported.

Having served as Hezbollah’s deputy chief since 1991, Qassem was appointed by then-leader Abbas al-Musawi, who was killed in an Israeli helicopter strike the following year.

Qassem retained his role when Nasrallah assumed leadership, and he has been a key spokesperson, often addressing rising cross-border tensions with Israel.

Nasrallah was killed on September 27, and senior Hezbollah figure Hashem Safieddine, widely considered the likely successor, was killed in further Israeli strikes a week later.

In an address on October 8, Qassem expressed support for a ceasefire in Lebanon, though some in the country view him as lacking Nasrallah’s charisma and influence.

Israel’s official Arabic account on X, formerly Twitter, commented that Qassem’s leadership “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.” “There is no solution in Lebanon except to dismantle this organization as a military force,” it added.