Naim Qassem to Hezbollah fighters: 'The strength of your resistance leads us to victory'

Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem sent a message to his party's fighters on Wednesday, a few days after they swore their allegiance to him, in which he said that “the strength of [their] resistance strengthens our resilience and leads us to victory through the defeat of our enemy.”

In a letter circulated by the party, the Hezbollah fighters pledged to embody the “supreme right hand” of the new Secretary General, to effectively execute his decisions, to fulfill his “promises,” and to be the “fair arrow in the liver of the enemies of God and humanity.” In response, Qassem said he saw in their letter their “faith in the liberation of Jerusalem and our occupied land” and “the strength of [their] resistance which strengthens our resilience and leads us to victory through the defeat of our enemy.” Sheikh Kassem was elected on Oct. 29 to succeed Hassan Nasrallah.

"My dear ones, you repel the enemy,” he wrote. "You are strength in the face of tyranny and injustice, you are the raised heads that break humiliation and submission. You are dignity, shaking the foundations of Zionism. You are our promising future. You are the water of our life and the light of our path to happiness (...) Your strength has multiplied, and your missiles have destabilized your enemies.” He concluded by saying, “I thank God for choosing me to be one of you."

Leader of the party since the late 1990s, Hassan Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27 by a massive strike by the Israeli army on the southern outskirts of Beirut. His designated successor, his cousin Hashem Safieddine, was also killed in a strike. The party confirmed his death on Oct. 23.

Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been fighting each other since Oct. 8, 2023, the day after the outbreak of the Gaza war between Hamas and Israel. But the clashes, which were limited to southern Lebanon and certain areas of the Bekaa, have degenerated into all-out war since the end of the summer.

Just hours after the election of Naim Qassem as Secretary General of Hezbollah, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant posted his photo on his X account, accompanied by the following message: “A temporary appointment... not for long.” Gallant's successor, Israel Katz, declared that Israel would “ensure” that Naim Qassem follows in Nasrallah's footsteps.

Naïm Kassem aux combattants du Hezbollah : « la force de votre résistance nous conduit à la victoire »