Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Saturday will commemorate the first anniversary of the killing of its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, whose death in an Israeli airstrike marked the beginning of a devastating war that reshaped the group and Lebanon itself.
On September 27, 2024, Israeli bunker-busting bombs leveled a Hezbollah complex in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing Nasrallah, who had led the Iran-backed Shi’ite movement for over three decades. His death was followed weeks later by the killing of his designated successor, Hashem Safieddine, and the collapse of Hezbollah’s ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The war left swathes of Lebanon in ruins, killing more than 4,000 people, including more than 300 children, according to Lebanese officials. Israeli forces carried out months of air and ground assaults, preventing Nasrallah’s burial for several weeks. His grave has since become a pilgrimage site for loyalists.
Nasrallah, who became secretary-general in 1992 after the assassination of Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi, had risen to prominence with fiery speeches that made him a symbol of resistance for many in the Arab world. Under his leadership, Hezbollah forced Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006, and expanded into a key pillar of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” deploying fighters to Syria and supporting Yemen’s Houthis.
Hezbollah’s entry into the conflict with Israel the day after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack ignited nearly a year of exchanges across the border before Israel escalated with mass airstrikes, communications sabotage, and ground incursions. Despite a truce, Israeli strikes continue in Lebanon.
Commemorations are expected in Beirut’s southern suburbs, as well as in Lebanon’s south and east. Current Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem, who took charge a month after Nasrallah’s death, is set to deliver a speech.
Tensions have risen ahead of the anniversary. This week, Hezbollah projected giant images of Nasrallah and Safieddine onto Beirut’s iconic seaside cliffs, defying orders from Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the city’s governor. Critics accused the group of politicizing a national landmark.
The anniversary comes as Hezbollah faces growing pressure at home and abroad to disarm, a demand the group has so far rejected.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
