Naim Qassem | |
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نعيم قاسم | |
4th Secretary-General of Hezbollah | |
Assumed office 29 October 2024[a] | |
Deputy |
|
Preceded by | Hassan Nasrallah |
1st Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah | |
In office May 1991 – 29 October 2024 | |
Secretary-General |
|
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Vacant |
Personal details | |
Born | February 1953 (age 71) Kfar Fila, Lebanon |
Political party | Hezbollah |
Other political affiliations | Amal Movement (until 1979) |
Children | 6 |
Education | Lebanese University |
a. ^ Acting: 27 September – 29 October 2024 | |
Part of a series on |
Hezbollah |
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Sheikh Naim Mohammad Qassem (Arabic: نعيم قاسم, romanized: Naeim Qasim; born February 1953) is a Lebanese Shia cleric and politician who has served as the fourth secretary-general of Hezbollah since 29 October 2024.[1] He 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. He studied theology under Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.
Following the Iranian Revolution, 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.[2]
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.