Hassan Nasrallah has been at the forefront of the last 30 years of wars and political upheavals in Lebanon. Longer time than most other leaders in the area.
And that even though Nasrallah only turns 60 on August 31st.
He has been the leader of the militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah (Party of God) since 1992.
The then only 32-year-old Nasrallah became a leader in a way that is not uncommon in the Middle East: The predecessor died.
In this case, the then Hezbollah leader, Abbas Musawi, was killed by shots fired from an Israeli helicopter.
He became a martyr, as Hezbollah calls it.
Nasrallah continued where Musawi left off: armed struggle to get Israel out of Lebanon.
At that time, Israel kept southern Lebanon occupied, and Hezbollah waged war against the occupation. A conflict that did not really lead anywhere.
Israel maintained the occupation to prevent attacks across the country’s northern border. But it was costly, even in human life.
In the year 2000, Israel withdrew. Hezbollah proclaimed itself victorious and won respect in Lebanon, in other parts of the Arab world and in Iran.
Hassan Nasrallah is a holy man. Born in Bouri Hammoud near Beirut.
In 1976, civil war was raging in Lebanon, and he was sent to a seminary in Najaf, a Shiite holy city in Iraq.
Two years later, he was deported along with hundreds of other Lebanese and returned home.
He became one of the leaders of the Shia militias that merged in the 1980s and became Hezbollah.
In 1987, he traveled to Qom, Iran, for a seminary. Two years later, he returned home and was at the same time Hezbollah’s representative of his fellow believers in Iran.
Hezbollah is more than a militia. It is also a charity and it is an influential political party in Lebanon.
So Nasrallah has war, aid to widows and political problems on its agenda.
Hezbollah is also taking part in the almost ten-year-long war in Syria.
Hezbollah is allied with Iran and has militants in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad.
In the past month, he has also been embroiled in other problems. For the first time in man’s memory, there have been Hezbollah-hostile demonstrations in Beirut.
It happened after the huge explosion in the port of Beirut.
It is not clear who is to blame for the fact that 2,800 explosive chemicals were in the port for years, but Hezbollah is among the suspects.
And a few weeks ago, a UN court in the Netherlands convicted a member of Hezbollah of detonating the bomb that in 2005 killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut.
It does not bite Nasrallah, who has refused to extradite Hezbollah people to court.
Privately, Nasrallah is married and lives in southern Beirut.
His eldest son, Muhammad Hadi, died in 1997 on the battlefield during fighting with Israeli soldiers.
He has been the leader of the militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah (Party of God) since 1992.
The then only 32-year-old Nasrallah became a leader in a way that is not uncommon in the Middle East: The predecessor died.
In this case, the then Hezbollah leader, Abbas Musawi, was killed by shots fired from an Israeli helicopter.
He became a martyr, as Hezbollah calls it.
Nasrallah continued where Musawi left off: armed struggle to get Israel out of Lebanon.
At that time, Israel kept southern Lebanon occupied, and Hezbollah waged war against the occupation. A conflict that did not really lead anywhere.
Israel maintained the occupation to prevent attacks across the country’s northern border. But it was costly, even in human life.
In the year 2000, Israel withdrew. Hezbollah proclaimed itself victorious and won respect in Lebanon, in other parts of the Arab world and in Iran.
Hassan Nasrallah is a holy man. Born in Bouri Hammoud near Beirut.
In 1976, civil war was raging in Lebanon, and he was sent to a seminary in Najaf, a Shiite holy city in Iraq.
Two years later, he was deported along with hundreds of other Lebanese and returned home.
He became one of the leaders of the Shia militias that merged in the 1980s and became Hezbollah.
In 1987, he traveled to Qom, Iran, for a seminary. Two years later, he returned home and was at the same time Hezbollah’s representative of his fellow believers in Iran.
Hezbollah is more than a militia. It is also a charity and it is an influential political party in Lebanon.
So Nasrallah has war, aid to widows and political problems on its agenda.
Hezbollah is also taking part in the almost ten-year-long war in Syria.
Hezbollah is allied with Iran and has militants in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad.
In the past month, he has also been embroiled in other problems. For the first time in man’s memory, there have been Hezbollah-hostile demonstrations in Beirut.
It happened after the huge explosion in the port of Beirut.
It is not clear who is to blame for the fact that there were 2800 explosive chemicals in the port for years, but Hezbollah is among the suspects.
And a few weeks ago, a UN court in the Netherlands convicted a member of Hezbollah of detonating the bomb that in 2005 killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut.
It does not bite Nasrallah, who has refused to extradite Hezbollah people to court.
Privately, Nasrallah is married and lives in southern Beirut.
His eldest son, Muhammad Hadi, died in 1997 on the battlefield during fighting with Israeli soldiers.
Source: The Nordic Page
