Who is Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah?

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, a militant Shia Islamist group based in Lebanon, is among the most recognized and powerful personalities in the Middle East.

Nasrallah, who was allegedly the focus of the airstrike in Beirut on Friday, has not made a public appearance in years due to concerns about being targeted for assassination by Israel.

A mysterious individual with strong personal connections to Iran, he was instrumental in transforming Hezbollah into the influential political and military power it is today, and he continues to be highly respected by the group's followers.

Under Nasrallah's guidance, Hezbollah has played a role in training militants from the Palestinian group Hamas, as well as various militias in Iraq and Yemen. Additionally, they have acquired missiles and rockets from Iran to be used in conflict with Israel.

He guided Hezbollah's transformation from a group created to combat Israeli forces in Lebanon into a military power that surpasses the Lebanese army. Under his leadership, Hezbollah became a significant player in Lebanese politics, a leading provider of healthcare, education, and social services, and an essential player in Iran's ambition for regional dominance.

Hassan Nasrallah was born in 1960 and spent his childhood in the eastern part of Beirut, specifically in the Bourj Hammoud area. His father, Abdul Karim, owned a small grocery store, and he was the oldest of nine siblings.

He became a member of the Amal movement, which was a Shia militia, when the civil war broke out in Lebanon in 1975. After spending some time in Najaf, a sacred city in Iraq, to study at a Shia seminary, he returned to Lebanon and rejoined Amal. However, in 1982, he and several others separated from the group just after Israel launched an invasion of Lebanon in retaliation for assaults by Palestinian fighters.

The newly formed group, Islamic Amal, gained significant military and logistical assistance from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, who were stationed in the Bekaa Valley. As a result, Islamic Amal became the leading and most successful of the Shia militias that eventually contributed to the establishment of Hezbollah.

In 1985, Hezbollah formally declared its formation by releasing an "open letter." In this letter, they labeled the United States and the Soviet Union as the main adversaries of Islam and advocated for the complete destruction of Israel, describing it as an occupier of Muslim territories.

Nasrallah climbed the ranks of Hezbollah as the group expanded. He mentioned that after starting out as a fighter, he went on to become the leader in Baalbek, then took charge of the entire Bekaa Valley, and later managed operations in Beirut.

In 1992, at the age of 32, he took over as the leader of Hezbollah following the assassination of his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

One of his initial responses was to take revenge for Musawi's death. He commanded missile strikes on northern Israel, which resulted in the death of a young girl. Additionally, a car bomb targeted an Israeli security officer at the embassy in Turkey, leading to his death, and a suicide bomber attacked the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, claiming the lives of 29 individuals.

Nasrallah successfully conducted a low-level conflict against Israeli forces, which led to their exit from southern Lebanon in 2000. However, this victory came with a personal tragedy, as he lost his eldest son, Hadi, during a shootout with Israeli soldiers.

After the withdrawal, Nasrallah declared that Hezbollah had secured the first Arab victory over Israel. He further stated that Hezbollah would not disarm, insisting that "all Lebanese land must be reclaimed," which includes the Shebaa Farms region.

Things remained fairly peaceful until 2006, when Hezbollah fighters carried out an attack across the border, resulting in the deaths of eight Israeli soldiers and the abduction of two more. This incident prompted a significant military reaction from Israel.

Israeli fighter jets targeted Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and the outskirts of Beirut, while Hezbollah launched approximately 4,000 rockets into Israel. Over the course of the 34-day conflict, more than 1,125 Lebanese individuals were killed, the majority being civilians, along with 119 Israeli soldiers and 45 civilians.

Israeli warplanes struck Nasrallah's residence and offices, yet he emerged unharmed.

In 2009, Nasrallah released a new political statement aimed at outlining Hezbollah's political perspective. This updated manifesto removed the mention of an Islamic republic that was present in the 1985 document but upheld a strong stance against both Israel and the United States. It also reaffirmed Hezbollah's position on retaining its weapons, despite a UN resolution prohibiting them in southern Lebanon.

"People grow and change over time. The world has transformed significantly in the last 24 years. Lebanon has also undergone changes, and so has the global landscape," Nasrallah stated.

Four years later, Nasrallah announced that Hezbollah was entering "a totally different stage" in its history by deploying fighters to Syria to support its ally, President Bashar al-Assad, in suppressing a rebellion. "This is our fight, and we are ready for it," he stated.

Lebanese Sunni leaders have blamed Hezbollah for pulling the country into the conflict in Syria, which has significantly increased sectarian tensions.

In 2019, Lebanon experienced a severe economic crisis that led to widespread protests against a political elite often criticized for corruption, inefficiency, and neglect. At first, Nasrallah showed support for the reform demands, but his perspective shifted as the protesters started calling for a total restructuring of the political framework.

On October 8, 2023, following the historic assault on Israel by Hamas militants that ignited the conflict in Gaza, the intermittent clashes between Hezbollah and Israel intensified.

Hezbollah targeted Israeli positions to show support for the Palestinians.

During a November speech, Nasrallah remarked that the Hamas assault was entirely a Palestinian initiative in both its planning and execution. He also emphasized that the exchanges of fire between his group and Israel were crucial and noteworthy.

The organization fired over 8,000 rockets towards northern Israel and the Golan Heights, which is occupied by Israel. They also targeted armored vehicles with anti-tank missiles and used explosive drones to strike military positions.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded by launching airstrikes and using tanks and artillery to target Hezbollah locations in Lebanon.

In his latest address, Nasrallah accused Israel of triggering thousands of pagers and radios used by Hezbollah members, resulting in the deaths of 39 individuals and injuries to many others. He stated that Israel had "crossed all boundaries" and admitted that the group had experienced an "unparalleled setback."

Not long after, Israel significantly intensified its assaults on Hezbollah, conducting extensive bombing campaigns that resulted in the deaths of nearly 800 individuals.