Hashem Safieddine

Hezbollah’s New Leader Naim Qassem Is No Hassan Nasrallah

Hezbollah is trying to keep its head down and recover its strength. As a result, Naim Qassem is providing a more muted leadership than his predecessor.

Nasrallah is Dead. Hezbollah’s Social Lifeline is Not.

Two years after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah is weaker but not finished. WaTaawanou, a crowdfunded charity outside Hezbollah’s formal hierarchy, exemplifies one way Hezbollah endures: outsourcing...

Hezbollah holds massive ‘Sayyed’s Generations’ scouting event in Beirut

On Sunday, October 12, Hezbollah hosted a massive scouting event in Beirut’s Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Lebanon’s largest sporting complex. The event was dubbed “The Sayyed’s Generations”...

Israel’s Iran ‘Decapitation Strategy’ Is Reshaping the Middle East

Key Points and Summary: Israel’s massive air assault on Iran on June 13th, part of “Operation Rising Lion,” was a dramatic decapitation strike targeting top military and scientific leaders....

Naim Qassem explains Hezbollah’s vision for the future in first long-form interview

On March 09, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem gave his first lengthy interview to Manar Sabbagh from Al Manar, Hezbollah’s satellite TV station, after assuming his post. Qassem’s predecessor,...

‘Death to Israel, Death to America’: Hezbollah Flexes at Massive Nasrallah Funeral Buzzed by Israeli Jets

IAF Warplanes Buzz Funeral, Strike Lebanese Targets: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on February 23  that the Israeli Air Force flew low passes in the skies over the...

Don’t bet on the Lebanese Army to restrain Hezbollah

The Assad regime has fallen. Meanwhile, the dreaded Third Lebanon War, during which Israel gave Hezbollah an unprecedented drubbing, is either over or in a ceasefire-induced lull. But the Iranian-backed...

Naim Qassem on Hezbollah’s post-ceasefire posture

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered two speeches—one on November 29 and another on December 5— after the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect on November 27. Most...

Hezbollah is still trying to manage contained war with Israel

Hezbollah’s new leader, Naim Qassem, signals readiness for a long conflict, threatening Tel Aviv in response to Israeli strikes.

IDF targets sites in Beirut as Hezbollah says it is ready for a “long battle”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) executed several waves of airstrikes on Hezbollah sites in Beirut on November 20. The strikes occurred as Israeli forces progressed with several new limited ground operations...

Naim Qassem is finally the bride

Hezbollah has a new secretary-general, though far from the obvious choice. On October 29, the group announced that its demure and soft-spoken Naim Qassem, rumored to be hiding in Iran, had succeeded...

Israeli airstrikes hit Hezbollah’s intelligence branch in Syria

On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced carrying out airstrikes against targets belonging to Hezbollah’s intelligence apparatus in Syria. “A short while ago, the IAF conducted an aerial...

Iran invests in new Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem

Iran likely believes Israel’s campaign will shift from high intensity to low intensity as it did in Gaza.

Hezbollah Picks Longtime Nasrallah Deputy as Replacement for Dead Leader

Hezbollah announced on October 29 that it appointed Naim Qassem, the longtime deputy secretary-general of the Lebanon-based group, as its new secretary-general. In a social media...

Hezbollah Attacks Tel Aviv Twice on Eve of Jewish Holiday

The Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah launched four rockets towards Tel Aviv and nearby population centers on October 23. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF),...

Israel SitRep: October 23, 2024

Today’s Issue: | IDF Confirms the Death of Hashem Safieddine, Presumed Successor to Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah | IDF Eliminates Three Hezbollah Sector Commanders in Lebanon | VOA: Hezbollah Attempting...

Israel eliminated Nasrallah’s successor

The Israeli army successfully assassinated Hashem Safieddine, the likely successor to Hezbollah’s veteran Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, whom Israel had also killed just two weeks ago....

Israel Strikes at Hezbollah Leaders as Attacks on North Intensify

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on October 8 that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “probably” eliminated senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, who was poised...

IDF Targets Nasrallah Successor, Destroys Hezbollah Weapons Smuggling Tunnel

Israel conducted an airstrike in Beirut on Wednesday night that targeted Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, Israeli officials told Axios and The New...

Israel, Iran, and Lebanon: What’s Next?