Who was Hassan Nasrallah, man who made Hezbollah more powerful than Lebanese army?

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was born in 1960 in the impoverished Burj Hammoud area of eastern Beirut. However, when the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, his family moved to their ancestral village of Bassouriyeh in southern Lebanon.

After studying the Quran and politics in Najaf, Iraq, Hassan Nasrallah joined the Shia movement “Amal” in Lebanon at the age of 15. He was later appointed as the political representative of the Amal militia in the Beqaa Valley.

However, following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Nasrallah separated from Amal and dedicated himself to resisting Israel.

In 1982, Nasrallah joined Hezbollah, a resistance movement against Israeli aggression, and in 1992, after the death of Hezbollah’s leader Abbas al-Musawi, Nasrallah was appointed as the leader of the organization.

Under his leadership, Hezbollah adopted an effective strategy against Israel, which eventually forced Israeli troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon in 2000.

Nasrallah strengthened Hezbollah both politically and militarily. He also helped train Palestinian militant group Hamas’ fighters.

Nasrallah maintained close ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran and its Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. He obtained weapons, including missiles and rockets, from Iran to use against Israel.

Hezbollah now possesses a large arsenal of weapons, including missiles capable of striking deep into Israeli territory, along with thousands of trained fighters.

Initially formed to combat Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, Hezbollah has grown into a military force more powerful than the Lebanese army and also participates in political maneuvering.

Many in Lebanon still remember the destructive month-long war with Israel in 2006, and fear that Hezbollah could drag the country into another conflict.

Nasrallah later met with the then-leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran, and Ayatollah Khomeini appointed him as his representative in Lebanon.

This marked the beginning of Nasrallah’s frequent trips to Iran, where he established strong ties with decision-makers and power centers.

Amid rising instability in Lebanon, Israel launched an attack, quickly seizing control of significant parts of the country. Israel claimed that its invasion was a response to Palestinian attacks.

At the age of 63, Nasrallah was regarded not only as a unique political and military leader in Lebanon but also as someone with decades of struggle to his credit, which he used to unsettle his political rivals and spread propaganda.

On the morning of September 28, Israeli forces claimed that Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed during an airstrike in Beirut. In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) declared that “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer terrorize the world,” and Hezbollah later confirmed the death of its leader.