Hamas congratulated Hezbollah on the announcement of Naim Qassem as its new secretary-general, Al Jazeera reports.

“We consider this election as evidence of the party’s recovery from the targeting of its leadership bodies, and we affirm our support for the new leadership of the party,” Hamas said in a statement.

The Palestinian group wished Qassem and Hezbollah luck in “confronting the Zionist enemy and its colonial ambitions in Lebanon, Palestine and the region”.