“Qassem's election signals continuity rather than change for both Hezbollah and its backer Iran. It sends a message of reassurance to Hezbollah's constituents and of resilience to Hezbollah's opponents,” said Lina Khatib.
“He is the most politically experienced and most publicly prominent of Hezbollah's remaining leaders,” Khatib noted, emphasizing Qassem's prominent standing within the group.
“Hezbollah vows to destroy the Israeli state... its aim was to support Hamas in Gaza and ultimately force Israel to agree to a cease-fire there,” the group stated.
After thousands of Hezbollah members' devices exploded in a suspected Israeli attack, Israel stepped up its campaign against the group, leading to heightened tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
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