By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-09-28 19:07:57 | Updated at 2024-09-30 09:38:51
1 day ago
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah led the Lebanese militant group for the past three decades, transforming it into one of the most powerful paramilitary groups in the Middle East.
Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that he was killed in an Israeli air raid that levelled six apartment buildings in Beirut the previous day.
An astute strategist, the 64-year-old Nasrallah reshaped Hezbollah into an arch-enemy of Israel, cementing alliances with Shiite religious leaders in Iran and Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas.
Under his leadership, Hezbollah fought wars against Israel and took part in the conflict in neighbouring Syria, helping tip the balance of power in favour of President Bashar al-Assad.
Idolised by his Lebanese Shiite followers and respected by millions of others across the Arab and Islamic world, Nasrallah held the title of sayyid, an honorific meant to signify the Shiite cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
