Hassan Nasrallah

Hassan Nasrallah, born in 1960, leader of Hezbollah, a political, religious, and military organization based among Shia Muslims in southern Lebanon. His full title is Sheik Sayyid Hasssan Nasrallah, which signifies that he is an Islamic religious leader and a descendant of the prophet Muhammad’s grandson. Nasrallah established himself as a charismatic and popular figure among many Muslims in the Middle East after Hezbollah guerrillas resisted an Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 2006.

Born in East Beirut, Nasrallah was the son of a grocer and one of nine children. When the Lebanese civil war broke out in 1975, the family moved to its ancestral home in southern Lebanon. Nasrallah joined a Shia militia known as the Amal movement, but also continued his studies. In 1976 he finished his high school education and journeyed to An Najaf in Iraq to study the Qur’an at a Shia seminary. At the seminary he met Sheikh Abbas al-Musawi, who was later to become a Hezbollah leader. In 1978 Nasrallah and other Lebanese religious students were expelled from Iraq by the Baath Party.

Returning to Lebanon, Nasrallah continued his religious studies at a school established by al-Musawi. He also renewed his association with Amal and was selected as Amal’s delegate for the Bekáa region. In 1982 Israel invaded southern Lebanon to root out Palestinian refugee forces that had been launching attacks on northern Israel. Nasrallah broke with Amal and soon joined the newly formed Hezbollah, which resisted the Israeli invasion with arms. Nasrallah reportedly established a reputation as a capable guerrilla commander.

During a lull in the fighting with Israel in 1989, Nasrallah decided to continue his religious studies and went to Qom in Iran, a city known primarily for its many Shia theological colleges. In 1992 Israeli forces assassinated al-Musawi, and Nasrallah was chosen to replace him as Hezbollah’s secretary general.

Nasrallah was soon credited with providing both political and military leadership in the continuing struggle against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Israel withdrew its forces in 2000, and the withdrawal added to Nasrallah’s stature as a popular figure and charismatic leader in the Arab world. His ability to broker a prisoner exchange with Israel in 2004 also raised his esteem among many Arabs.

In 2006 Hezbollah forces staged a cross-border raid into northern Israel and abducted two Israeli soldiers in an apparent bid to negotiate another prisoner exchange. Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert refused to negotiate, and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) began a heavy aerial bombardment of Lebanon, targeting Nasrallah’s home and offices in Beirut as part of the campaign. The air campaign failed to generate a backlash against Nasrallah and Hezbollah from other Lebanese, although it destroyed much of Lebanon’s infrastructure. When Hezbollah guerrillas put up fierce resistance to an IDF land incursion into southern Lebanon, Nasrallah’s reputation as an astute military commander grew.

Nasrallah’s reputation does not rest solely on his military and organizational skills, however. He has also won a large following among Shia Muslims in Lebanon for the social services and charities that Hezbollah provides, such as schools, health clinics, and housing. Among moderate Muslims, Nasrallah also appears to enjoy support because he has condemned al-Qaeda for terrorist actions that target “innocents,” and he has disassociated himself from the extreme Islamic fundamentalism of the Taliban. However, he supports and justifies Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel, saying Palestinians have no other means of resistance. United Nations officials and human rights organizations condemned Hezbollah for war crimes for carrying out rocket attacks on civilian areas of Israel, including neighborhoods populated mainly by Israeli Arabs, during the conflict in 2006.

Nasrallah is married to Fatima Yassin, and the couple has three children. A fourth child, their eldest son, was killed in a clash with the Israeli army when he was 18 years old.