“New Hezbollah Leader Won’t Last ‘Long,’ Israel’s Defense Minister Vows

In a stark warning on Tuesday, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant vowed that Hezbollah’s new leader, Naim Qassem, would not remain in power for long. “Temporary appointment. Not for long,” Gallant wrote on X, accompanied by a photo of Qassem, who recently replaced the late Hassan Nasrallah as Hezbollah’s leader. In a post in Hebrew, Gallant declared, “The countdown has begun.”

The statement follows weeks of escalated conflict on Israel’s northern border, where Hezbollah has been engaged in frequent rocket exchanges with Israeli forces. According to Israeli military data, Hezbollah has launched between 180 and 200 rockets on certain days, targeting northern Israeli territories. As of Tuesday, roughly 60 projectiles were reported fired by Hezbollah into Israel, marking another surge in hostilities.

Israel’s military has responded with intensive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s arms production and storage facilities throughout Lebanon. Gallant claimed these strikes have significantly reduced Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal, estimating only 20% of its original capacity remains intact. He further stated that Hezbollah’s operational capacity is now weakened, asserting it “can no longer organize the volleys” previously possible.

Israel’s Defence Minister visited the northern command on Tuesday, where he praised the military’s pushback against Hezbollah forces, noting that Israeli troops had cleared Hezbollah militants from border villages, dismantling infrastructure that had supported the militant group’s operations.

Analysts previously estimated that Hezbollah held around 150,000 rockets prior to the recent escalation of conflict in October 2023, initiated by Hamas’s attacks on Israel. In addition to its rocket stockpile, Hezbollah’s arsenal includes anti-aircraft, anti-tank, anti-ship, and ballistic missiles capable of reaching deep into Israeli territory.

Israeli military operations are reported to be ongoing in efforts to neutralize Hezbollah’s remaining assets, as both sides continue to engage in one of the most intense confrontations on the Israel-Lebanon border in recent history.