Hujjat al-Islam Naim Qassem

Early Life

Born in Kfar Fila, Lebanon, and raised in Beirut. Co-founded the Lebanese Union of Muslim Students in the 1970s; initially joined the Amal Movement before leaving it in 1979. Participated in the founding of Hezbollah in 1982.

Naim Qassem (born February 1953 in Kfar Fila, Lebanon) is a Lebanese Shia cleric and politician who has served as Secretary-General of Hezbollah since October 2024. He holds a master's degree in chemistry from the Lebanese University (1977) and also pursued theological studies under Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah. Qassem was among the founders of the Lebanese Union of Muslim Students in the 1970s and was initially a member of the Amal Movement before leaving it in 1979. Following the Iranian Revolution, he participated in establishing Hezbollah in 1982. He served as the organization's first Deputy Secretary-General from 1991 until 2024, working under Secretaries-General Abbas al-Musawi and later Hassan Nasrallah, and became known as one of Hezbollah's leading spokesmen, overseeing its parliamentary election campaigns since 1992. He was elected Secretary-General on 29 October 2024, following the Israeli assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and presumed successor Hashem Safieddine. He is the author of "Hizbullah: The Story from Within," a book recounting the movement's founding and ideology.

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