PNN – In an interview, Sheikh Naim Qassem, while explaining the personal and political dimensions of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, outlined the framework for the future performance of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the horizons related to reviewing past policies within the party.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, since Sheikh Naim Qassem took office as Secretary General of Hezbollah in Lebanon after the martyrdom of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the late Secretary General of Hezbollah, much speculation has been raised in international circles regarding Hezbollah’s political, cultural, and security approaches and the party’s command mechanism in the future. Naturally, the political, cultural, and security approaches of Hezbollah’s new Secretary General will have a significant impact on the nature of the party’s future activities. In this regard, a newly established Lebanese magazine called “Iqtdar” recently conducted a conversation with Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Secretary General of Hezbollah in Lebanon, in its first issue. The full text of this conversation is reviewed to explain and explain Hezbollah’s future policies.
There is no doubt that you and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (may God be pleased with them) have been together for a lifetime of jihad and struggle since the founding of Hezbollah. Can we ask about the beginning of your acquaintance with him and, secondly, what was the process of jihadi activities that brought you two together in the command of Hezbollah in Lebanon?
The beginning of the activities of the leader of the martyrs of the nation, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in Hezbollah dates back to the founding of the party in the Bekaa region in 1982. The beginning of my activities in Hezbollah at that time was in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and we had no connection or common activities with each other. Sometime later, I saw that he was carrying out prominent activities, and I got to know him through his attendance at the Second Hezbollah Council in 1984, and he had also heard about my activities.
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The real and genuine recognition came during our time on the Hezbollah Command Council. At that time, with the reform of Hezbollah’s internal structure, the position of Secretary General was created in 1989. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was elected as the head of the Executive Council at that time, and I became his deputy. From that time on, our joint activities began. Seyyed remained as chairman of the Executive Council for several months and then traveled to the Islamic Republic of Iran to complete his seminary studies in the holy city of Qom. I succeeded him as chairman of the Executive Council at that time.
A few months later, due to some problems, he returned to Lebanon and settled in the Al-Tuffah region. At that time, we were always in touch to follow up on developments. In 1991, when Sayyed Abbas Mousavi was elected Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah once again became the Chairman of the Executive Council and suggested to Sayyed Abbas that I become the Deputy Secretary General of Hezbollah. This position was first created at that time. After the martyrdom of Sayyid Abbas on February 16, 1992, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah was elected Secretary General of Hezbollah and proposed my deputyship for himself.
From that time until the martyrdom of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, despite the reforms that were made in the decision-making council, she remained as Secretary-General and I was her deputy.
We worked together for 35 years, of which I was his deputy for 33 and half years. This meant that we had daily communication with each other and were together in many meetings and visits, and there were always many issues that he would assign to me, and I would attend and speak at many conferences on his behalf. We participated in the first parliamentary elections after the civil war. At the beginning of his term as Secretary General of Hezbollah, he asked me to follow the parliamentary activities and the representatives, which were among his powers, and it was a year and a half after this request that the Hezbollah Council approved, at his suggestion, that the powers to follow the developments related to the representatives of parliament be among the missions of the Deputy Secretary General.
If you ask all the officials of the council and Hezbollah in Lebanon and anyone else whether there was ever a public disagreement between me and him, you will hear that there was never such a thing. Sayyid was a kind, moral, humble man who respected his brothers. I also saw no reason for disagreement or problems, despite his great jihadist qualities.
Can you tell us about the faith, leadership, and jihadi characteristics of Sayyid Nasrallah so that we can gain a deeper understanding of him and can he be a role model for us?
The characteristics of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah were derived from the characteristics of Islam and the prophets and pure imams, and I will only mention a few of them as examples.
- He was in love with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his family to the point where he was completely absorbed in their love. He always remembered Imam Hussain (PBUH), drew inspiration from Karbala, and always had the conditions for practical expectation for the return of the promised Imam Mahdi.
- He was committed to the guardianship of the jurist and Imam Khamenei himself, loved him very much, and carefully studied all of his speeches.
- He had special relationships with the fighters and mujahideen, and monitored their demands, news, and achievements. He spent most of his time meeting with officials of the jihadi units to be aware of the situation on the fronts. He followed the stories of the martyrs and encouraged others to study these stories.
How do you analyze the faith and jihadist outlook of Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance from the perspective, literature, and behaviors of the leader of the martyrs of the nation?
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had a faith-based and jihadi view of the principles, goals, and policies of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and he based his positions on these issues. He insisted on details in his meetings with Hezbollah cadres and spoke to people based on the occasions he met with them. I will present some of these principles:
- Faith and jihad education comes first, because it is the basis of resistance and determines its political approach. His speeches in half of the Ashura commemoration ceremony of Hussein in the Central Council were also only to emphasize the role of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and the positions of Hazrat Zaynab (peace be upon her) in creating the approach of jihad from the perspective of Islam, the guardianship of the jurist, and resistance. He also attended his weekly religious lessons during the holy month of Ramadan, which were broadcast on television, and his speeches at the Night of Power revival ceremony demonstrated the method that should be considered in the structure of belief and jihad.
- Islamic unity is a necessity and principle, and preventing religious sedition is a universal duty, and we should not hold other religions responsible for the behavior of some infidels.
- Resistance against the Zionist regime for the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem has been institutionalized as a firm foundation in Hezbollah in Lebanon and all of its supporters and public base. Of course, Hezbollah has other priorities, and Hezbollah’s domestic policies and all of its positions are within the framework of this main priority.
What are the characteristics of a resilient and victorious person and what is the basis for resistance that is consistent with the approaches of the Sayyid?
A successful resistant person is one who follows his commander. The elements of the resistance have proven in all battles that they seek martyrdom and are not afraid of death. They have shown exemplary perseverance and have proven that they are the soldiers of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and the awaited Imam-e-zaman(may our souls be sacrificed). This was evident in the wars of 1993, 1996, 2000, and 2006, and the victory over the Takfiris in 2017, as well as the Gaza Support Front in Operation Storm of Al-Aqsa in 2023, and the direct war with the Zionists in 2024.
The elements of the resistance proved that they are the children of the province and submit to the exceptional command of the leader of the martyrs of the nation, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah.
The region has two projects, as before, one is the American-Zionist project and the other is the resistance axis project. What is Hezbollah’s role in the resistance axis and do you believe that the martyrdom of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will have a negative impact on the activities of this axis?
Hezbollah in Lebanon was formed based on the project of Islamic resistance against the Zionist regime after the Israeli attack on Lebanon in 1982. It subsequently gained power and achieved its victory in the liberation of southern Lebanon in 2000. It was in this same year that the Palestinian armed resistance was formed after several years of fighting with stones as a result of the victory of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, and this was something that the Palestinian commanders also explicitly stated.
Hezbollah in Lebanon, in cooperation with the Quds Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, which plays a major role in training the Islamic resistance and equipping and supplying it with weapons, also played its role in training, equipping, and supporting Palestinian resistance groups. Iran and Hezbollah also helped Syria in confronting the Takfiri approach, and the Iraqi nation also used this model, and the Popular Mobilization Forces were established in this country, and the confrontation with the Takfiri approach took shape in Iraq.
Many believe that it was you who chose the name “Sayyid of the Martyrs of the Nation” for the martyr Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. Why did you choose this name?
The purpose of this naming was to show the true status of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah at the time of his martyrdom. He was called the Sayyid of the Martyrs of the Nation because he held the most important commanding role in the axis of resistance and assumed the most important role in the Islamic Ummah from a global perspective. He was a nationalist, Arab, Islamic, and Palestinian leader at the level of the Islamic Ummah. He was the one who led the resistance to its current strength and victories, increased its supporters, defeated its enemies and mercenaries at the regional level, and was ultimately martyred at the forefront of this battle.
You have promised to evaluate what has happened. Will these reviews and evaluations be carried out in all areas of your policies and actions before the war, and what will you do after that?
Evaluating problems and investigating the gaps that have arisen is the least duty and responsibility, and part of loyalty to the martyrs, the wounded, the prisoners, the elements of the resistance, and its public opinion, so that the necessary lessons and lessons can be learned for the future. Naturally, we cannot continue to operate in the security, military, political, and cultural fields in the same way as in the past, and a complete evaluation of the past stage must be conducted in order to shape future stages based on this evaluation. The fixed point is the same principles on which Hezbollah was founded and on which the priority of resistance is emphasized, and all strategies for realizing these principles, using developments related to the war during the period of support for Gaza and the war against the Zionists, are subject to dispute and adjustment based on the results of this assessment.
Every prominent and great commander like Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has a great legacy. What are your recommendations to the Islamic nation to preserve this legacy and continue to expand the role and position of this legacy?
We have lost the body of the leader of the martyrs of the nation, but his orders remain, and Hezbollah, which he sacrificed his life to organize, remains. The Islamic resistance, with which he intertwined every moment of his life, continues, and the wait for the Imam of the Time to pass the flag to him continues. We must study his speeches, follow his positions and character, and learn from the different parts of his life and jihad. His legacy is endless, and may this legacy be a source of inspiration for those who benefit from this great source and this source of divine and guardian help.