Home HomeSwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

Praised Icon – and Hated Terrorist

He led the Shia movement Hezbollah for over 30 years. Through war against Israel, the movement, with Hassan Nasrallah at the helm, achieved iconic status among several groups in the region. Now, he has been killed in an Israeli attack in Beirut – and the vacuum that arises is believed to shake the entire region.

» Updated: 05 October 2024, 20:02

» Published: 28 September 2024

Praised Icon – and Hated Terrorist
Photo: Hussein Malla/AP/TT

Wearing his black turban, a heavily loaded symbol referring to Hassan Nasrallah being a descendant of the Muslim prophet Muhammed, he reached tens of thousands of Shia Muslims every time he spoke.

As the leader of Hezbollah, which is classified as a terrorist organization in several parts of the world, Nasrallah was under constant threat. He lived in hiding and communicated with his followers only through video messages, which often contained escalated war rhetoric and constantly polarized the audience against Israel.

Hassan Nasrallah was only 22 years old when he got a leading role in Hezbollah – the Shia militia he helped build up as a resistance movement while southern Lebanon was under Israeli occupation in the early 1980s.

Became more powerful through war

Hezbollah was founded with the help of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, and the movement's very close ties with the Shia superpower have persisted since then.

In the late 1980s, Nasrallah had risen in rank. As a potential successor to Hezbollah's first leader Abbas al-Musawi, Nasrallah traveled to Iranian Qom to deepen his theological knowledge at one of the world's largest centers for higher Shia Muslim studies.

When al-Musawi was killed in an Israeli helicopter attack in 1992, Nasrallah, son of a simple vegetable vendor, was a given successor to the leadership position.

When Israel, after extensive attacks from Hezbollah, left southern Lebanon at the turn of the millennium, Nasrallah's and Hezbollah's influence grew – something that culminated when the militia six years later declared victory against Israel in the 2006 war.

Although Israel also declared itself the winner of the war, the Shia militia, with Nasrallah at the helm, achieved iconic status as the only military group that had not lost to Israel.

Unconventional power position

The political and social power grew even more as Hezbollah, with Iran's money in the back, distributed generous contributions to the affected Lebanese who had their homes destroyed by the war.

With Nasrallah as leader, Hezbollah has transformed into functioning more like a state within a state, rather than just a military movement.

The unconventional power position made Hezbollah heavily criticized by many Lebanese, who believe that the movement holds the country hostage.

According to Israel, Hassan Nasrallah was responsible for the murder of countless Israelis, both civilians and military, and terrorist acts in Israel and around the world.

With his death, a vacuum emerges, which is either believed to lead to a significantly weakened Hezbollah – and thus also a less powerful Iran – or revenge actions that draw the region into a major war.

Tags
TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

UN Soldiers Injured in Attack in Lebanon
1 MIN READ

UN Soldiers Injured in Attack in Lebanon

Trump's Peace Plan for Ukraine: No NATO for 20 Years
2 MIN READ

Trump's Peace Plan for Ukraine: No NATO for 20 Years

Biden addresses the nation after the election
1 MIN READ

Biden addresses the nation after the election

Canada in dispute with Tiktok - "national security"
1 MIN READ

Canada in dispute with Tiktok - "national security"

The EU Top on Trump: There is Something to Build On
2 MIN READ

The EU Top on Trump: There is Something to Build On

Harris Turned His Back: "Didn't Stop the Genocide"
2 MIN READ

Harris Turned His Back: "Didn't Stop the Genocide"

Israel buys new fighter jets from Boeing
1 MIN READ

Israel buys new fighter jets from Boeing

Multiple deaths in Israeli attack in Lebanon
2 MIN READ

Multiple deaths in Israeli attack in Lebanon

Demands No Confidence: "Scholz's Coalition is History"
2 MIN READ

Demands No Confidence: "Scholz's Coalition is History"

Iran: Trump's Victory Chance of Reconsideration
1 MIN READ

Iran: Trump's Victory Chance of Reconsideration

The demand to Georgia: Investigate election fraud
1 MIN READ

The demand to Georgia: Investigate election fraud

Democrats Fume: Biden's Arrogance Was Our Downfall
2 MIN READ

Democrats Fume: Biden's Arrogance Was Our Downfall

Two states are still counting their votes
1 MIN READ

Two states are still counting their votes

The Charges Against Trump – What Happens Now
3 MIN READ

The Charges Against Trump – What Happens Now

Struggle for Power in Congress
3 MIN READ

Struggle for Power in Congress

Xi wants a stable relationship with the USA in the "new era"
1 MIN READ

Xi wants a stable relationship with the USA in the "new era"

Russian drone attacks on Kyiv
1 MIN READ

Russian drone attacks on Kyiv

Australia: 16-year limit for Tiktok
2 MIN READ

Australia: 16-year limit for Tiktok

Melania Trump calls for unity
1 MIN READ

Melania Trump calls for unity

Zelensky: USA's leadership is crucial
1 MIN READ

Zelensky: USA's leadership is crucial