Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant commented on Tuesday on the election of Naim Qassem as the new Hezbollah Secretary-General, stressing that it is a “temporary” move. “Temporary appointment. Not for long,” the minister said in a post on X. He added that “the countdown has begun,” hinting that Qassem could end up like his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Beirut by Israeli forces. Earlier in the day, Hezbollah announced that its Shura Council decided to appoint Qassem as the next group’s chief due to his “adherence to the principles and goals of Hezbollah.” NN: Think AAA
Gallant: Hezbollah’s rocket capacity around 20%
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday that he estimates that Hezbollah retains only about 20% of its rocket and missile capacity compared to the period before the war. “There is a deep connection between our strike in Iran and what is happening to Hezbollah. Iran understands that Hezbollah does not have the ability to respond, and Hezbollah understands that it cannot rely on Iran,” Gallant said while visiting the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Northern Command base in Safed. He stated that Hezbollah is “not organized in the way that it used to be organized.” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly have a meeting today to find a diplomatic resolution to the conflict with Hezbollah. Earlier today, Hezbollah appointed a new secretary-general, Naim Qassem, who will succeed the previous leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike. Gallant called this new appointment “temporary.”