A Lebanese Shia cleric born in Kfar Kila, Naim Qassem trained as a chemistry teacher before joining the Amal movement and helping found Hezbollah in 1982. He served as the organisation's first deputy secretary-general from 1991, becoming one of its leading public spokesmen and its chief strategist for parliamentary politics from Hezbollah's first electoral participation in 1992. Following Hassan Nasrallah's killing in September 2024, Qassem was elected Secretary-General on 29 October 2024, inheriting an organisation stripped of much of its senior command and precision-missile arsenal. He led Hezbollah through the renewed war with Israel that broke out in March 2026 as part of the wider Israel-Iran conflict, vowing continued resistance while overseeing a costlier and less effective military response than Hezbollah had mounted in 2006 or 2024.
- Lived: 1953 CE – ?
- Nationality: lebanese
- Roles: Secretary-General of Hezbollah (2024-)
