Middle East latest: 'The countdown has begun': Israel warns new Hezbollah leader after wave of killings

By means of Ivor Bennettforeign correspondent

Hamas has hailed the appointment of Naim Kassem as Hezbollah’s new leader as evidence of the group’s recovery. In reality, however, it is a reflection of their lack of options. Kassem is virtually the only senior figure left.

After helping to found Hezbollah in the early 1980s, the 71-year-old rose to deputy head in 1991 and became one of the group’s top clerics, guiding the group’s religious and ideological direction.

But he was always seen as the eternal ‘number two’. An effective operator in a supporting role, but not the inspiring figurehead to lead the fight against Israel.

Many in Lebanon consider him a man without charisma and personality. He is nowhere the father figure that his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, was to some. Nor the inspiring orator.

But now Kassem has ended up in the top position due to circumstances.

After Nasrallah’s assassination in Beirut at the end of September, Hashem Safieddine was considered the most likely successor, despite Kassem’s superiority on paper. But he too was killed by an Israeli airstrike just two weeks later, when the IDF attempted to decapitate Hezbollah’s leadership.

The hit on Safieddine came after speculation spread that he was next in line. It seems that Hezbollah has been more careful with Kassem this time.

He reportedly fled Beirut to Tehran earlier this month and reportedly left Lebanon aboard the Iranian Foreign Minister’s plane after visiting the country.

Kassem has given three television speeches in the past month. One was a defiant rallying cry in the wake of Nasrallah’s death, promising Hezbollah supporters that they would keep fighting.

However, the second, on October 8, was more conciliatory. He said the armed group supported efforts to broker a ceasefire in Lebanon.

And perhaps that indicates something: that in Kassem’s hands, Iran’s powerful ally could adopt a more cautious approach. Some believe this may be the case simply because Kassem lacks the swagger to pursue a more combative policy.

Moreover, Kassem is already a well-known face. Since the start of this conflict with Israel last October, he has been one of Hezbollah’s main spokespersons, giving interviews to both regional and foreign media.

He is not a military commander operating in the shadows, like those Israel has targeted. On the contrary: he was central and that could be an important distinction.

But for now, Israel remains wary, warning that if Kassem follows in Nasrallah’s footsteps, his term will be “the shortest in (Hezbollah’s) history.”