Hassan Nasrallah re-elected as Hezbollah leader

BEIRUT (AP) — The militant Hezbollah group says that Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has been re-elected as the group's leader for a sixth term.

A Hezbollah statement Thursday did not say when top Hezbollah officials voted to re-elect Nasrallah as the guerrilla group's secretary-general.

The statement said Naim Kassim also has been re-elected to as the group's deputy leader.

Hezbollah's leadership elections are usually held every three years but they were last held in 2004. A Hezbollah official said the two-year delay was caused by internal Lebanese difference and the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Nasrallah has led Hezbollah since his predecessor was killed by Israel in 1992.