Hassan Nasrallah

Hassan Nasrallah
Hassan Nasrallah
حسن نصر الله
	Nasrallah in 2019
3rd Secretary-General of Hezbollah
	In office; 16 February 1992 – 27 September 2024
Deputy	Naim Qassem
Preceded by	Abbas al-Musawi
Succeeded by	Naim Qassem
Personal details
Born	31 August 1960; Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon
Died	27 September 2024 (aged 64); Dahieh, Lebanon
Manner of death	Assassination by airstrike
Political party	Hezbollah (1982–2024)
Other political; affiliations	Amal (1978–1982)
Spouse	Fatima Mustafa Yassine (m. 1978)
Children	5
Relatives	Hashem Safieddine (cousin)
Occupation	Shia cleric; politician;
Signature

Hassan Nasrallah (Arabic: حسن نصر الله, romanized: Ḥasan Naṣr-Allāh, pronounced [ˈħasan nasˤraˈɫːaːh]; 31 August 1960 – 27 September 2024) was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the third secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 2024.

Born into a Shia family in the suburbs of Beirut in 1960, Nasrallah finished his education in Tyre, when he briefly joined the Amal Movement, and afterward at a Shia seminary in Baalbek. He later studied and taught at an Amal school. In 1982, Nasrallah served as a founding member of Hezbollah, which was formed to fight the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, declaring that its confrontation with Israel "should only end when it has been removed from existence",^[1]. After a brief period of religious studies in Iran, Nasrallah returned to Lebanon and became Hezbollah's leader after his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, was assassinated by an Israeli airstrike in 1992.^[2]^[3]

Under Nasrallah's leadership, Hezbollah acquired rockets with a longer range, which allowed them to strike at northern Israel. Israel withdrew its forces in 2000 after the 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon, a decision widely considered in Lebanon to have been due to Hezbollah's attacks.^[1] The date of Israeli withdrawal is celebrated as a public holiday in Lebanon.^[1] Hezbollah cultivated Nasrallah's media image as a charismatic authority, though this image was later weakened.^[4] Hezbollah's role in ambushing an Israeli border patrol unit, leading up to the 2006 Lebanon War, was subject to criticism, though Nasrallah projected the end of the war as a Lebanese and Arab victory.^[5]^[4]

During the Syrian civil war, Hezbollah fought on the side of the Syrian government against what Nasrallah termed "Islamist extremists". Nasrallah also promoted the "Axis of Resistance", an informal coalition of Iran-backed groups focused on opposing Israel and the United States.^[6] After the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel followed by war, Hezbollah engaged in support of Hamas in ongoing conflict that impacted both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border.^[7] On 27 September 2024, Nasrallah was killed when the Israeli air force attacked Hezbollah's Headquarters.^[8]

^ ^a ^b ^c "What is Hezbollah and why is Israel attacking Lebanon?". BBC News. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
^ Cite error: The named reference Al Jazeera 2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Hezbollah". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference Matar 2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Norton, Augustus R. (2018). Hezbollah: a short history. Princeton studies in Muslim politics (3rd ed.). Princeton Oxford: Princeton University Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-691-18088-5.
^ "Hassan Nasrallah's death will reshape Lebanon and the Middle East". The Economist. 28 September 2024. ISSN 0013-0613.
^ Goldenberg, Tia; Shurafa, Wafaa (8 October 2023). "Hezbollah and Israel exchange fire as Israeli soldiers battle Hamas on second day of surprise attack". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
^ "Israel says it struck Hezbollah's headquarters in huge explosion that shakes Lebanese capital". AP News. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.

[beebwhy-1] "What is Hezbollah and why is Israel attacking Lebanon?". BBC News. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.

[Al_Jazeera_2000-2] Cite error: The named reference Al Jazeera 2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] "Hezbollah". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2018.

[Matar_2015-4] Cite error: The named reference Matar 2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] Norton, Augustus R. (2018). Hezbollah: a short history. Princeton studies in Muslim politics (3rd ed.). Princeton Oxford: Princeton University Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-691-18088-5.

[The_Economist_2024-6] "Hassan Nasrallah's death will reshape Lebanon and the Middle East". The Economist. 28 September 2024. ISSN 0013-0613.

[Goldenberg_2023-7] Goldenberg, Tia; Shurafa, Wafaa (8 October 2023). "Hezbollah and Israel exchange fire as Israeli soldiers battle Hamas on second day of surprise attack". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2024.

[8] "Israel says it struck Hezbollah's headquarters in huge explosion that shakes Lebanese capital". AP News. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.

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