Lebanon’s Hezbollah will pick new leader at earliest opportunity, says its deputy chief

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BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s Hezbollah will choose a successor to its slain secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah “at the earliest opportunity” and will continue the fight against Israel, the Iran-backed group’s deputy chief Naim Qassem said on Monday.

He spoke in a televised speech, the first appearance for a Hezbollah official since Nasrallah was killed on Friday in an Israeli air attack on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital.

“We will choose a secretary-general for the party at the earliest opportunity… and we will fill the leadership and positions on a permanent basis,” Qassem said, speaking in front of wooden panels from an undisclosed location.

Qassem said Hezbollah’s fighters had continued to fire rockets as deep as 150 kilometres (93 miles) into Israeli territory, and were ready to face any possible Israeli ground incursion.

“What we are doing is the bare minimum… We know that the battle may be long,” he said. “We will win as we won in the liberation of 2006 in the face of the Israeli enemy,” he added, referring to the last bloody conflict between the two foes.

Qassem, who called for patience from supporters, said Hezbollah was dealing with the assassination of its cadres by appointing replacements.

“Israel was not able to reach our military capabilities, and what its media says about hitting most of the medium and long-range capabilities is a dream they have not achieved and will never achieve,” he said, referring to Hezbollah’s rockets.

He also blamed the United States for providing what he described as “limitless” support to Israel.