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Hezbollah has announced Naim Qassem as its new secretary general, filling a crucial vacancy as the Iran-backed militant group comes under increasing Israeli military pressure that has wiped out a large proportion of its top echelons.
His predecessor Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an air attack on Beirut in September. Mr Qassem was Nasrallah's deputy for three decades, but he was not considered a likely successor until Israel started dismantling Hezbollah's command structure, reducing the pool of veteran figures who could take over.
Mr Qassem is an unknown quantity as far as the military and political capabilities that Hezbollah needs to survive the Israeli onslaught. He is widely seen as more of a theoretician than a tactician. In his deputy role he focused on public relations – mainly media interviews – and Hezbollah's electoral campaigns.
He was a disciple of Imam Musa Al Sadr, an eminent Lebanese Shiite cleric who disappeared in Libya in 1978, just after meeting dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Mr Al Sadr preached coexistence and even famously lectured at a church in downtown Beirut.
Shortly after Mr Al Sadr's disappearance, Mr Qassem left Amal, the Shiite movement that the imam had founded. His career took a more militant trajectory, as he became one of the first cadres of Hezbollah when it was founded by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Syrian intelligence in the 1980s.
In one interview, he said that training camps set up by the IRGC in the Bekaa Valley during Lebanon's civil war made people discover “a classy model of education, preparedness, morals and faith”.
After an inconclusive war with Israel in 2006, Mr Qassem's pronouncements grew more dismissive of the country, hinting that Israel might be too divided to win a new war against the group. Since the killing of Mr Nasrallah, he has said repeatedly that Hezbollah remains strong, despite Israel's invasion of south Lebanon and expanding aerial attacks across the country.
But Mr Qassem said that Hezbollah would sign a ceasefire with Israel, abandoning a previous stance that tied a ceasefire in Lebanon with a ceasefire in Gaza.
He was not the first choice to succeed Mr Nasrallah. Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s maternal cousin and head of Hezbollah's executive council, had been seen as the likely new leader. However, Mr Safieddine was assassinated days after the killing of Nasrallah in another Israeli bombing of Beirut. Hezbollah only confirmed Mr Safieddine's death last week.
Mr Qassem was appointed deputy leader in 1991 by Hezbollah's then-secretary general Abbas Al Musawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack the following year.
The Israeli army has only made limited progress in its invasion of south Lebanon under intense fire from Hezbollah units. The militant group has ramped up the scope of its attacks on Israel, hitting military bases near Tel Aviv.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
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How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
