The Lebanese Hizbollah movement on Tuesday elected Hassan Nasrallah as its secretary general for a fourth consecutive term, reported the Daily Star.
During a special session of Hizbollah’s ruling Shura Council at a secret location in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Nasrallah was unanimously returned to lead the party, whose military wing spearheaded the resistance against Israeli occupation forces.
Nasrallah, 42, was elected Hizbollah’s secretary general for the first time in February 1992, two days after his predecessor, Abbas Musawi, was assassinated in an Israeli helicopter gunship ambush.
He is the party’s third secretary general since its foundation.
Hizbollah has made significant political strides under Nasrallah’s leadership, as the party boasts a 12-member bloc in the 128-seat Parliament.
Naim Qassem retained his post as deputy secretary general, said the paper.
The other appointments to the seven-man council were: Hajj Hussein Khalil as Nasrallah’s political assistant; Sayyed Ibrahim Amin as head of the political council, replacing Mohammed Raad, who heads Hizbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc; Sayyed Hashem Safieddine as head of the executive council; Sheikh Mohammed Yazbek for religious affairs; and Jawad Noureddine as coordinator of military affairs.
Harried by Hizbollah resistance forces, Israel withdrew its troops from nearly all of occupied south Lebanon in May 2000. Hizbollah continues to mount attacks on the occupied Shabaa farms area – Albawaba.com
