The situation in the Middle East day by day seems to be escalating. Israel and Hezbollah do not show that the two sides are jointly willing to proceed with the acceptance of the American-French proposal for a cease-fire. The climax of the hostilities between the Israeli state and the Lebanese organization is the announcement of the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Shiite group, who was killed in the attacks.
Hezbollah was slow to announce the news, as it tends to be sparing with its operatives losing their lives, as evidenced by its leader’s speech last week.
But who was the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah? How did it affect the Lebanese organization?
Profile of Hassan Nasrallah
64-year-old Hassan Nasrallah has been head of Hezbollah for 32 years. He managed under the cover of Iran to create the powerful militia and turn it into a new power, as well as a worthy opponent of Israel.
The leader has been in this position for more than two decades and avoided public appearances, as he worried about the possibility of an assassination.
Over the years, the Shiite has changed a lot. A typical example was his black beard, which also marked his position as a Muslim cleric, which he had turned white. Apart from his own change, he managed to turn the Lebanese organization into a political group, which now essentially dominates the “troubled” Lebanon.
At the same time, it had also contributed to Hezbollah’s military equipment, which also consists of missiles capable of threatening the whole of Tel Aviv. While with the help of Iran, he managed to network beyond the borders of his country, as well as to become a quite influential personality for several regions of the Middle East.
Hassan Nasrallah, in Arabic tradition, became known as Abu Habi, or Father Habi, when his 18-year-old son was killed during a firefight with Israelis in 1997. However, the Hezbollah leader had three other children.
Hezbollah fighters led by Hassan Nasrallah
Hezbollah emerged as an important ally for Syria in 2011, when the government of Bashar al-Assad was threatened by a popular uprising.
At the same time, the Lebanese group significantly helped train Hamas fighters, as well as militias in Iraq and Yemen. The US government has designated it as a terrorist organization.
Hassan Nasrallah in office had called for the liberation of Jerusalem, while addressing Israel as a “Zionist entity”. He argued that all Jews should return to their country of origin, but also that there should be a Palestine, in which there would be equality for Muslims, Jews and Christians.
His life
Hassan Nasrallah is believed to have lived a modest life and his interactions were mostly confined to mainstream circles. He has been avoiding cell phones since 2006 and Hezbollah’s war with Israel.
The conflict started when the Lebanese organization arrested two Israeli soldiers. The war between the two sides ended after 34 days, with both sides declaring victory. Through this Hezbollah emerged as a dominant group and began to engage in various conflicts in the Middle East with a more active role. The entire Arab world was praising the team.
Great preacher
Hassan Nasrallah was a great preacher, who through his speeches managed to convince his audience and inspire them. His words resonated throughout the Arab world because he referred to the restoration of Arab prowess. While he tended to be less brazen than the rest of the Shia clerics. A typical example of the policy he followed was that he never wanted to impose harsh Islamic rules, such as headscarves on women.
His early years
Hassan Nasrallah was born in 1960 in Beirut and grew up in a mixed neighborhood of poor Christian Armenians, Palestinians, Druze and Shiites. His father was a fruit seller with a small stand.
He studied briefly in Iran. In 1989, he considered Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979 to be a model for Shiites to redefine their place in the Muslim state.
The work of Hassan Nasrallah
Hezbollah under Hassan Nasrallah contributed greatly to the reconstruction of Lebanon, which had emerged from a long civil war almost destroyed, with hospitals, schools and other social services.
On September 19, he addressed the Lebanese people on the occasion of multiple blasts of buzzers and walkie-talkies in the country. He named Israel as responsible for the attacks, while he had declared that this was a “declaration of war”.
The creation of Hezbollah
Hezbollah was created in the 1980s, with the help of Iran, to fight Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon and ended in 2006. During the following years, the organization developed into the most effective political party . At the same time, it also became the ultimate fighting force of Lebanon and expanded its operations in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, but also in other parts of the Middle East.
In Lebanon, the organization has taken deep roots in sections of society. At the same time, it established and maintains an extensive apparatus to support its mission with offices of social services, communications, and homeland security.
At the same time, domestically the group relies on a deeply loyal community to support its operations and provide fighters. It remains unclear how the eruptions will affect this community, explains Randa Slim.
“This will also add to the fatigue that is already developing in the Hezbollah electorate,” he added. “On the other hand, it may increase demands within the constituency for a tough Hezbollah counterattack,” he concludes.
The organization, during the last major war with Israel lost many of its fighters, However, over the years it managed to make it more sophisticated, such as over 100,000 rockets and modern weapons of new technology, such as precision guided missiles, which they can hit sensitive locations inside Israel.
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