In his inaugural address as Hezbollah‘s new chief, Naim Qassem declared on Wednesday that he would maintain the military approach established by his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah, who died in an Israeli operation following the outbreak of major hostilities.
“My work programme is a continuation of the work programme of our leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,” Qassem stated in his first public speech since assuming leadership. He also said that he’s committed to advancing “the war plan that he (Nasrallah) developed with the leadership” of the organisation, which receives support from Iran.
In the pre-recorded video address, Qassem emphasised the organization’s autonomy, stating they were not “fighting on anyone’s behalf.” He also addressed the relationship with Tehran, noting that Iran “supports us but doesn’t want anything” in return, as quoted by AFP.
The newly appointed leader also indicated the organisation’s willingness to agree to a ceasefire with Israel under ‘conditions’. However, he also warned of Hezbollah’s capability to sustain military operations against Israel for several months.
He also addressed the hits that Hezbollah took with many of its prominent leaders being eliminated. Qassem said that the militant group “has started to recover by filling the gaps, appointing alternative leaders and commencing work to organise everything” following what he described as “painful” attacks from Israel.
Earlier today, Israeli forces confirmed they had killed Mustafa Ahmad Shahdi, who served as the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces.
The organisation suffered a major blow when Hassan Nasrallah, their former leader, died in Israeli airstrikes on September 27. The situation worsened for Hezbollah when a high-ranking Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, expected to become the Hezbollah chief Hashem Safieddine, was announced to be eliminated by the IDF on October 22.