Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah

Sayyid Ḥassan Naṣrallāh (Arabic:سيد حسن نصرالله), b. August 31, 1960, d. September 27, 2024), was a Lebanese Shia cleric and the Secretary General of Hezbollah, the Shia Islamic political and military organization in Lebanon. During his studies in Najaf, he made a good relationship with al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and al-Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi which involved him in the battles against Zionist occupiers.

Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah

Hezbollah's Secretary General
Well-known As	Sayyid al-Muqawama
Religious Affiliation	Twelver Shi'a Muslim
Well-known Relatives	Sayyid Hadi Nasrallah
Birth	1960
Place of Birth	Al-Bazuriyya, Tyre
Place of Residence	Beirut, Lenbanon
Death/Martyrdom	September 27, 2024 CE
Cause of Death/Martyrdom	Assassinated by Israeli drones in Beirut
Professors	Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi, Fadil Lankarani, Hashemi Shahroudi
Notable roles	Secretary General of Hezbollah

He was in charge of the administrative apparatus of Hezbollah for a while. Still, after al-Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi's martyrdom, he became this organization's Secretary General. Nasrallah led Hezbollah for more than three decades. He was elected secretary-general of Hezbollah in 1992, aged 32 after an Israeli helicopter gunship killed his predecessor, Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi.

Under his leadership, Hezbollah became an influential power in the region. Subsequently, they managed to force the Israeli army to retreat from Lebanon in 2000, as well as releasing a number of their prisoners. Because of the threat of assassination attempts, Hassan Nasrallah rarely appeared in public places. His son, Sayyid Hadi Nasrallah, was martyred in 1997 in a battle against the Israeli army. Hassan Nasrallah was a member of the Supreme Council of Ahl al-Bayt (a) World Assembly.

On Friday, September 27, 2024, the Zionist regime struck Hezbollah's headquarters in southern Beirut. The following day, Hezbollah confirmed the assassination and martyrdom of their leader, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, due to the Israeli strike on Beirut.

Birth

Al-Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah was born on August 31, 1960, in al-Bazuriyya town, an unprivileged region east of Tyre, a city south of Lebanon. His mother was Mahdiyya Safi al-Din, and his father was al-Sayyid 'Abd al-Karim. He used to work in his father's store, selling vegetables.

Education

Hassan Nasrallah attended elementary and high school in his hometown and secondary school in Beirut. In 1987, he moved to Najaf to study religious sciences. After two years of settling and educating in Najaf, he returned to Lebanon and studied religious subjects in Baalbek. In 1989, he migrated to Qom and, after a while, returned to Lebanon as Hezbollah needed him.

Social and Political Activities

• Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah was involved in political activities from a young age. After finishing high school, Hassan Nasrallah became the Amal Movement leader in his hometown in 1975.

• When he returned from Najaf in 1979, he became a member of the political office of the Amal Movement. He was also the representative of this political party in Biqa' Valley.

• In 1982, along with a group of clergymen, Nasrallah left Amal, and they founded Hezbollah.

• From 1982 to 1992, he was mainly involved in the political activities of the Hezbollah party. He was also in charge of preparing Hezbollah's military soldiers. He was Ibrahim Amin al-Sayyid's assistant (Hezbollah's head in Beirut) and Hezbollah's administrative assistant.

• After the martyrdom of al-Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi in 1992, al-Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah became the Secretary General of Hezbollah. He led Hezbollah for more than three decades. He was elected secretary-general of Hezbollah in 1992, aged 32, after an Israeli helicopter gunship killed his predecessor, Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi. During Nasrallah's administration, Hezbollah entered political activities, and some of its members entered the Lebanese parliament.

"Sayyid of the Resistance" and Struggles against Israeli Occupation

For his and Hezbollah's role in liberating southern Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years of Zionist occupation, as well as their victory in the 33-day war in 2006, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah became one of Lebanon's most well-known and famous figures, earning the nickname "Sayyid of the Resistance." Due to his resistance and repeated victories against Israel, Nasrallah has emerged as a prominent figure in the Islamic world, being recognized as the most popular leader in the Arab world and one of the most respected and influential leaders in the Arab region and West Asia. His epic speeches and strong personality are considered key factors in his popularity. The Lebanese and millions across the Arab and Islamic world respected Nasrallah.

Relation with Iran

Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah's meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Sayyid Hassan had a close and friendly relationship with Iran and its leaders. He traveled to Iran multiple times and met with various Iranian leaders. His first meeting with Imam Khomeini occurred in 1981 or 1982 at Husayniya Jamaran. In 1985, he revisited Imam Khomeini, accompanied by members of Hezbollah. His third and final meeting with Imam Khomeini took place a few months before Khomeini's demise, during the conflict between the Amal movement and Hezbollah. In 1981, Sayyid Hassan received authorization from Imam Khomeini to collect religious funds and act in religious and communal matters, which made him the first Lebanese clergyman to achieve this. He was also the representative and attorney of Ayatollah Khamenei in Beirut and Jabal Amel.

Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah's autobiography stated that his close relationship with Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei began in 1985. He also met with various Iranian military and state officials, including Qasem Soleimani and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the late Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Nasrallah viewed Iran as a friend and supporter of Hezbollah, and he, in turn, defended Iran. For instance, in response to the Zionist attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus in April 2024, he affirmed Iran's right to retaliate. He deemed a reaction against the Zionist regime inevitable. He regards his friendly relations with Iran as an honor. In November 2009, Hassan Nasrallah unveiled Hezbollah's new political document, which emphasized the group's commitment to and dependence on the Wilayat al-faqih in Iran as a core policy.

Martyrdom of His Son

Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah's televised speech

Hassan Nasrallah's speech in Beirut, November 2023

Al-Sayyid Hadi Nasrallah, Hassan Nasrallah's son, was martyred in 1997 in a battle with Israeli soldiers. Israeli soldiers kept his body, and it was given back to Lebanon after a year in an exchange deal between Israel and Hezbollah.

Assassination Attempts

Al-Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah has been the target of assassination for several times, including:

• Giving him poisoned food in 2004.
• He was the target of an Israeli airstrike in 2006.
• A group of terrorists were captured in an attempt to hit Nasrallah's vehicle by bazooka in 2006.
• A house was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in 2011, as they thought Nasrallah was staying there.

Because of a series of assassination attempts, al-Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah did not appear commonly in public; however, a guard team was always protecting him established by Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated by the Zionist Regime in 2008. Till his martyrdom, Abu 'Ali al-Jawad, his son-in-law, was in charge of this guard team. The Hezbollah leader is said to have become more cautious than ever since the September 17 blasts out of concern that Israel might attempt to assassinate him. Evidence of this is his pre-recorded speech that was aired a few days before his assassination.

Martyrdom in the Last Assassination Attempt

A woman reads the Quran at the site where Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, was martyred in Beirut’s southern suburbs

On Friday, September 27, 2024, the Zionist regime struck Hezbollah's headquarters in southern Beirut. Six buildings were razed to the ground as a result of the Israeli aggression in the southern suburb of Beirut. Zionist media claimed that the regime targeted Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in strikes in the Dahiya neighborhood. The following day, Hezbollah confirmed the assassination and martyrdom of their leader, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, and number of his companions due to the Israeli strike on Beirut. Hezbollah also confirmed that one of its senior commanders, Ali Karaki, was martyred in the Zionist air strike on Friday that martyred its leader Hassan Nasrallah. Over 80 tons of explosives, including bunker-busting bombs, were used to attack Hezbollah's headquarters in the strike that led to the martyrdom of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. The bombs used by the occupying regime, particularly in civilian areas, are prohibited under international law.

Iran's Retaliatory Operation

Main article: Iran's missile attack on Israel

On October 1, 2024, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched the Second True Promise Operation, a missile attack targeting military and security sites in the occupied territories. This operation involved hundreds of missiles fired from various Iranian cities. It was a retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah's Secretary General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, along with Ismail Haniyya, the head of Hamas and IRGC commander Sayyid Abbas Nilfroushan.

Reactions

In Iran, protesters gathered in Palestine Square in Tehran.

In Iran, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, issued a message on the occasion of the martyrdom of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. In part of his message, he stated: "The Islamic world has lost a noble figure, the Resistance Front has lost an eminent standard-bearer, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah has lost an unparalleled leader. However, the blessings from his decades of planning and jihad will never be lost. The foundation that Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah established in Lebanon and the direction he provided to other centers of Resistance will not be destroyed as a result of his martyrdom, but rather it will also be strengthened due to his sacrifice and that of the other martyrs of this event."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the international community will not forget that the order for Israel’s terrorist act to assassinate Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah was issued from New York. In a message of condolences on Saturday, Pezeshkian said the United States cannot absolve itself of complicity with the Zionists in the terror attack against the Hezbollah chief. He added that Israel’s Friday terrorist attack would further strengthen the “tree of resistance."

Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiya' al-Sudani said in a statement on Saturday that the Zionist entity crossed all red lines after perpetrating this heinous act of aggression. He went on to reaffirm Iraq’s principled stance in standing with Palestinian and Lebanese nations and announced three days of national mourning over the assassination of Nasrallah.

Iraq’s prominent Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani also offered his condolences over the martyrdom of the late Hezbollah leader:

“The great martyr was an unmatched role model. He played a distinguished role in the victory over the occupying Zionist regime by liberating occupied Lebanese lands, and supported Iraqis with everything he could to help them free their homeland from the clutches of ISIS terrorists,” the top Iraqi cleric said in a statement. Ayatollah Nasir Makarim Shirazi, one of the prominent authorities on Taqlid, has issued a message of condolence for the martyrdom of Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, and stated that the people of Palestine, Lebanon, and the Islamic Ummah will never forget the contributions of this martyr. Ayatollah Noori Hamadani issued a message of condolence and stated "this action does not disrupt the determination of the resistance front".

Palestinian resistance groups, along with other regional resistance factions, say the assassination by Israel of Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah will only increase the determination of the resistance in the region. Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said in a Saturday statement that crimes and assassinations by Israel “will only increase the determination and the insistence of the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon.”

Other religious figures in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, and other Islamic countries also issued messages condoling the martyrdom of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah and condemning the terrorist actions of the Zionist regime.

Condemnations

Protests took place on Saturday in multiple countries mourning the assassination of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah. Protesters gathered on Saturday not only in Lebanon but also in Iran, the West Bank, Iraq, Syria, Türkiye, Pakistan, Indian Kashmir, some European countries, and elsewhere to mourn his assassination.

National Mourning

In a statement on Saturday, Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his condolences to the family of Nasrallah, the resistance front, the Lebanese people, and the entire Islamic Ummah. He also declared five days of national mourning in Iran.

In Iraq, Prime Minister Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani announced on Saturday three days of national mourning over the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Also, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen declared three days of mourning over the Hezbollah leader's martyrdom by the Zionist regime.

Historic Commemoration Ceremony in Tehran

Ayatollah Khamenei's historic Friday prayer, Tehran; Grand Mosalla Mosque of Imam Khomeini

On October 4, 2024, Ayatollah Khamenei held a commemoration ceremony for Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah during the historic Friday prayer at the Grand Mosque of Imam Khomeini in Tehran, attended by over one million worshipers, an unprecedented turnout in the history of Friday prayers in Iran. which received extensive coverage in the global media. At the beginning of the second sermon, which was delivered in Arabic, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to him as the 'Shining jewel of Lebanon.' He began his remarks as follows:

I believe it is necessary to honor my brother, my dear one, who was a source of pride for me, an admired personage in the Islamic world and the articulate voice of the nations in the region, the shining jewel of Lebanon, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah (may God be pleased with him), during this Friday Prayer in Tehran.

Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted the historical ties between Iran and Lebanon, stating that it is our duty, as well as the duty of all Muslims, to support the wounded Lebanon.

Related Works

Al-Sayyid Hassan in his youth

Al-Sayyid Hassan with al-Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi in Najaf

Several written and visual works, including books, documentaries, and even songs, have been done about al-Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah's personality.

Documentries

• Nasrallah through the Eyes of his Enemies, Al-Mayadeen TV Channel has prepared this 50-minute documentary based on Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah's speeches, incorporating images and analyses from Israeli experts and analysts.

• Hikayat Hassan (Hassan's Story), This documentary aired on Al-Arabiya TV and discusses how Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah gained power and popularity in Lebanon. The broadcast prompted protests from Nasrallah's opponents, leading to the dismissal of the director of Al-Arabiya Network for airing it.

• Heralds of Freedom (part of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah) The documentary aired on Khabar TV, an Islamic Republic of Iran channel.

Musical Pieces

• The song "Ahibbaii" (Dearly Beloved) was performed by Julia Boutros, a Lebanese Christian singer, in 2006, inspired by Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah's letter to the fighters of Lebanon's Hezbollah. She dedicated the piece to the fighters of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon.

• The song Ya Nasrallah with the voice of 'Alaa Zelzali, a Lebanese singer (2007)

• Li-Sayyid Rabbi Yuhmih lit. "O noble Sayyid, may God protect you for us, Islamic resistance and Islam.

See Also

• Sayyid 'Abbas al-Musawi
• Na'im Qassem
• Ragheb Harb
• Imad Mughniyeh
• Imam Musa al-Sadr
• Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadl Allah

External Links

• The Multilingual Website of al-Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah]