Hassan Nasrallah
Hassan Nasrallah has served as the secretary-general of the Shia Muslim political party and military group Hezbollah (“Party of God”) since 1992. Nasrallah’s family fled Beirut after the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975. He later joined Amal, a Lebanese Shia paramilitary group with ties to Iran and Syria.[1] He left for Najaf, Iraq, shortly thereafter to study at a Shia Muslim seminary.
Nasrallah returned to Lebanon in 1978 when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein began to repress Shia Muslims. He fought together with Amal and became its commander in the al Bekaa Valley region. Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 prompted Nasrallah to leave Amal for the nascent Hezbollah, created by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which favored a more militant response to Israel.[2] Hezbollah has explicitly stated as its goals the elimination of Israel as a state and the expulsion of all Western influence from Lebanon.[3] The United States and other Western countries—with notable exceptions such as Russia—have formally designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. [4]
Nasrallah became Hezbollah’s secretary-general in 1992 after his predecessor, Sheikh Abbas al Musawi, was killed in an Israeli missile strike.[5] Nasrallah has steadily increased Hezbollah’s political and military influence. Hezbollah participated in Lebanon’s national elections for the first time in 1992.[6] It won, eight of 128 parliamentary seats. Nasrallah took credit for ending Israel’s occupation in southern Lebanon in 2000.[7]
A series of political power plays in the 2000s solidified Nasrallah as one of the most powerful political leaders in Lebanon. The 2006 Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah did not end with a decisive military victory for either side, but solidified Hezbollah as a powerful and established adversary against Israel despite Hezbollah’s limited size and resources.[8] Hezbollah’s clash with the Lebanese government in 2008 resulted in the government conceding veto power in the cabinet to Hezbollah.[9] Hezbollah expanded its political power again in 2011 when Hezbollah officials quit the Lebanese cabinet. The resignation of these Hezbollah officials effectively caused the Lebanese government to collapse.[10] Lebanon has struggled repeatedly to form and maintain an effective government.[11]
Nasrallah publically announced Hezbollah’s support for Syrian President Bashar al Assad in 2013 in the midst of the Syrian Civil War.[12] Hezbollah’s military leaders have also trained and advised Syrian fighters. Hezbollah provided a train and assist mission for Assad’s forces, and began contributing to offensive missions in Syria in 2015.[13] Hezbollah has thousands of fighters deployed in Syria on Assad’s behalf to this day.
-- Christopher Beckmann
[1] Jubin Goodarzi, “The Iran Primer: Iran and Syria,” United States Institute for Peace, August 2015, http://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/iran-and-syria.
[2] Nicholas Blanford, “Iran & Region IV: Lebanon’s Hezbollah,” United States Institute for Peace, January 28, 2015, http://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2015/jan/28/iran-region-iv-lebanons-hezbollah.
[3] Hezbollah, “An Open Letter: The Hizballah Program,” translated manifesto published by Council on Foreign Relations, January 1, 1988, http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/open-letter-hizballah-program/p30967.
[3] Nicholas Blanford, “Iran & Region IV: Lebanon’s Hezbollah,” United States Institute for Peace, January 28, 2015, http://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2015/jan/28/iran-region-iv-lebanons-hezbollah.
[4] “Russia says Hezbollah not a Terrorist Group,” Reuters, November 16, 2015, http://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-russia-terrorgroups-idINKCN0T509U20151116; Henry Meyer, “Hezbollah Not on Russia’s Terrorist List,” Washington Post, July 28, 2006, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801433.html; “Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” U.S. Department of State, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm.
[5] Clyde Haberman, “Israelis Kill Chief of Pro-Iran Shiites in South Lebanon,” The New York Times, February 17, 1992, http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/17/world/israelis-kill-chief-of-pro-iran-shiites-in-south-lebanon.html.
[6] “Jonathan Masters and Zachary Laub, “CFR Backgrounders – Hezbollah,” Council on Foreign Relations,” January 3, 2014, http://www.cfr.org/lebanon/hezbollah-k-hizbollah-hizbullah/p9155.
[7] Majorie Miller, John Daniszewski, Tracy Wilkinson, “Israel Leaves South Lebanon After 22 Years,” LA Times, May 24, 2000, http://articles.latimes.com/2000/may/24/news/mn-33497.
[8] Andrew Chadwick, “The 2006 Lebanon War: A Short History,” Small Wars Journal, September 11, 2012, http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-2006-lebanon-war-a-short-history.
[9] “Lebanon unity deal gives Hezbollah veto power,” NBC News, July 11, 2008, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25637594/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/lebanon-unity-deal-gives-hezbollah-veto-power/#.WJssa28rJhE.
[10] CNN Wire Staff, “Lebanon’s unity government collapses as Hezbollah, allies quit,” CNN, January 12, 2011, http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/12/lebanon.politics/.
[11] Benedetta Berti, “Re-Shuffling of the Cards in Lebanon: Meet the New Government,” Foreign Policy Research Institute, January 8, 2017 http://www.fpri.org/article/2017/01/re-shuffling-cards-lebanon-meet-new-government/.
[12]“Jonathan Masters and Zachary Laub, “CFR Backgrounders – Hezbollah,” Council on Foreign Relations,” January 3, 2014, http://www.cfr.org/lebanon/hezbollah-k-hizbollah-hizbullah/p9155.
[13] Leith Fadel, “Southern Front (Dara’a) Syrian Army and Hezbollah are Creeping Closer to Tal Al-Harra,” Almasdar News, April 3, 2015, http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/southern-front-daraa-syrian-army-hezbollah-creeping-closer-tal-al-harra/.