Hezbollah’s former leader was killed in Israeli strike last September; Israel suspends release of 600 Palestinians
As we mentioned in the opening summary, Hassan Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, was killed last September by Israel in a series of airstrikes on the group’s underground headquarters in Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut.
The Guardian’s international security correspondent, Jason Burke, has this profile on Nasrallah, who, prior to his death, had not been seen in public for years because of fears of being assassinated by Israel. Here is an extract from the piece:
A qualified Islamic scholar, effective public speaker and competent organiser, Nasrallah gained leadership experience during the long battle against Israeli troops and their local auxiliaries in the south of Lebanon. In 1992, he was chosen as the movement’s new secretary-general after Israel assassinated his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi. Months later, Iran used Hezbollah networks and operatives to execute a massive bombing of the Israeli embassy in Argentina, killing 29.
In 2000, Israel’s humiliating and chaotic withdrawal from Lebanon’s south brought Hezbollah and Nasrallah acclaim in the Middle East and broader Islamic world, despite historic sectarian animosity between majority Sunnis Muslims and the minority Shia. The victory came at personal cost to Nasrallah: a son was killed in a clash with Israeli troops.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/23/middle-east-crisis-live-funeral-hezbollah-leader-nasrallah-palestinians-release-israel-gaza
Author : Yohannes Lowe (now) and Christine Kearney (earlier)
Publish date : 2025-02-23 08:44:00
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