Appointed deputy chief in 1991 by then-secretary general Abbas al-Musawi, who was killed in an Israeli helicopter attack the following year, Qassem retained his position when Nasrallah took over.
They asked us to remove our turbans for a security check and said that if we didn’t comply, we would not be allowed to board the flight. However, refusing to remove our turbans, we said that we would ...
The bearded, bespectacled cleric is never seen without traditional robes and the black turban that marks him out as a descendant of the prophet Mohammed. He is married and has four surviving children.