Hezbollah names Naim Qassem as new leader after Israel's killing of Hassan Nasrallah

Hezbollah has named Naim Qassem as its new top leader after Israel's killing of Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike last month.

Lebanon's militant group says the decision was made in accordance with its leadership processes and that Qassem is committed to the prophet "Mohammed's authentic Islam" and Hezbollah's core principles.

Qassem had been Nasrallah's deputy leader for over three decades. Hezbollah has vowed to continue with Nasrallah's policies "until victory is achieved."

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli military strike in Beriut while the militant group's leadership met at their headquarters in the suburb of Dahiyeh.

In a separate development, an Israeli strike on a five-storey building in northern Gaza has killed at least 77 Palestinians who had been sheltering there after being displaced, Gaza's Health Ministry said via CNN.

More than half of those killed are understood to be women and children, according to officials.

Gaza health officials have said that at least 17 other people are missing following strikes in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.

There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has been waging a large-scale operation in northern Gaza for more than three weeks - targeting what it says are pockets of Hamas militants who have regrouped there.

Israel's latest major operation in northern Gaza, focused on the Jabaliya refugee camp, has killed hundreds of people and driven tens of thousands from their homes in another wave of mass displacement more than a year into the war in the tiny coastal territory.

Israel has also sharply restricted aid to the north this month, prompting a warning from the United States that failure to facilitate greater aid efforts could lead to a reduction in military aid.

Palestinians fear Israel is enacting a plan proposed by a group of former generals, who suggested the civilian population of the north should be ordered to evacuate, aid supplies should be cut off, and anyone remaining there should be considered a militant.

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The military has denied it is carrying out such a plan, while the government has not said clearly whether it is carrying out all or part of it.

On Monday, Israel's parliament passed two laws that could prevent the UN agency for Palestinian refugees - the largest aid provider in Gaza - from operating in the Palestinian territories. It was the culmination of a long-running campaign against UNRWA, which Israel contends has been infiltrated by Hamas, allegations denied by the agency.

Meanwhile, Iran will be tripling its military budget, according to semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim. The commitment of extra military funds comes as Iran-allied military groups have been significantly struck by Israel.

The latest conflict began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Around 90% of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced from their homes, often multiple times.

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