PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 29th, 2024: Hezbollah Announces Its New Leader & An Execution in Iran Causes International Outrage
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It's Tuesday, 29 October. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage.

Let's get briefed. First, with the recent deaths of Hassan Nasrallah and his successor, Hashem Safedin, although to be fair, Safedin really barely had time to get business cards printed up before he was let go, Hezbollah has now appointed a new leader. We'll reveal who this new chief is and explore what his leadership could mean for the direction of the terror group. Then, a

Iran has executed Jamshid Shaman, a California resident abducted during an international flight layover and later convicted on terror charges. We'll break down the details and the international outrage surrounding his fate. Well, there's nothing like a dose of international outrage to guarantee that nothing will be done about it.

First, our afternoon spotlight. It's official: Hezbollah has a new leader. Today, the terror group's Shura Council announced that it's elected longtime Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem to become its new chief. Now, Qassem replaces longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

At 71, Naim Qassem stands as one of the most influential figures in Hezbollah, having participated in the founding meetings that led to the formation of the group in 1982. He served as the group's deputy secretary general since 1991, first under Sayed Abbas al-Mosawi and then under Nasrallah following al-Mosawi's assassination in 1992.

A central architect of the group's ideology and strategies, Qasem worked closely alongside Nasrallah, shaping policies that have defined Hezbollah's actions and alliances for the past three decades. He's been pivotal in directing its stance on regional issues, including opposition to Israel and support for Syria's Assad regime.

Qasem is also a significant ideological voice within Hezbollah and has authored a number of books, none of which have been turned into movies, including Hezbollah, the story from within, where he outlines the group's objectives, religious motivations and anti-Israel stance.

Although he's mainly operated behind the scenes and hasn't been on the front lines of media coverage, Qasem's influence extends deeply within Hezbollah's operations, political decisions, and foreign alliances, particularly with Iran. Since Nasrallah's assassination, Qasem has made three television appearances, including on the 8th of October this month when he said the militant group supported efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Lebanon.

In their statement announcing Qasem's elevation, Hezbollah said, "...we ask God to help him in the great mission in leading Hezbollah and the Islamic resistance." The group also vowed to continue Nasrallah's policies "...until victory is achieved."

Reacting to the announcement, the Israeli government's official Arabic language account on X stated, End quote.

The statement went on to say, quote, there is no other solution in Lebanon than to dismantle this organization as a military force. Before we go to break, a quick reminder. You can watch a video presentation of this podcast, not just audio, but audio and video. It's an AV extravaganza on our YouTube channel where you'll find exclusive content and our weekend show, the PDB Situation Report.

Don't miss out on the latest updates and analysis. Subscribe to At President's Daily Brief on YouTube. All right, coming up, we'll bring you the story of Jamshid Sharma, a longtime California resident that was executed by the Iranian regime last week. I'll have those details after the break. Here's a question for you.

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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. Iran executed Jamshid Sharma, a longtime U.S. resident and German-Iranian dissident who Iranian agents abducted during a layover in Dubai back in 2020.

Sharma has been accused of orchestrating a 2008 mosque terror attack in Iran, though his family maintains that he had absolutely no involvement whatsoever. Sharma, a 69-year-old who had lived in California for nearly two decades, had been an outspoken critic of the Iranian regime and an alleged member of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran. That's an opposition group advocating for the reinstatement of Iran's monarchy that was overthrown by the Islamic Revolution back in 1979.

The 2008 bombing, for which he was charged, occurred in Shiraz, resulting in 14 deaths and over 200 injuries. Still, Sharma's family disputed these terror charges, calling the allegations part of a broader crackdown on Iranian dissidents abroad.

The Iranian judiciary's Mizan News Agency confirmed the execution on Monday, casting Sharma as an alleged agent acting, quote, under orders from masters in Western intelligence agencies conspiring with the U.S. and Israel.

Amnesty International condemned the trial as, quote, grossly unfair, noting that Sharma was denied the opportunity to mount a defense and endured severe mistreatment in custody. In 2021, in a telephone call with Western officials, he reported losing over 40 pounds and having only two teeth left.

Sharma's final message to his family came back on 28 July in 2022, with tracking data showing that he crossed into Oman the next day. By 30 July, his signal vanished, and Iranian authorities announced his capture two days later. Prior to his capture, Iranian agents attempted to assassinate Sharma in 2009, a plot that was thwarted by U.S. officials, who then convicted an Iranian agent that was involved.

In another attempt to suppress Sharmaad, the regime in 2017 accused him of disclosing sensitive information on Iranian missile sites during a television appearance. Sharmaad's family and advocates argue these charges were also fabricated.

In response to the execution, Germany escalated diplomatic actions against Iran. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock summoned Iran's ambassador to Germany, delivering a formal protest. Baerbock stated Iran's actions would have "serious consequences for Tehran," describing the government as a "inhuman regime."

Following this, Germany recalled its envoy to Tehran condemning the execution to Iran's foreign minister, quote, in the strongest possible terms. Tehran officials dismissed Germany's objections, of course. Iran's foreign minister labeled the reaction as, quote, gaslighting, adding, quote, no terrorist enjoys impunity in Iran. A German passport does not shield a terrorist criminal, end quote.

Now, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, expressed deep concern over Iran's treatment of Sharma, stating the EU was, quote, considering measures in response. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday, 29 October.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, well, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief simply by visiting pdbpremium.com. It's just that simple. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.