Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian
When former Hezbollah Secretary-General Abbas al-Musawi was assassinated in an Israeli helicopter raid targeting his convoy in southern Lebanon, his student and close friend, Hassan Nasrallah, did not anticipate that on February 16, 1992, he would become al-Musawi's successor as head of the party.
Nasrallah had worked alongside al-Musawi and a group of young Shiite men, most of whom were affiliated with the Amal Movement, to establish the Hezbollah party ten years earlier.
According to his birth certificate, Hassan Nasrallah was born on August 31, 1960. However, his father, Abdul Karim, recalls that his son was actually born on November 28, 1959.
Nasrallah was born in Beirut's Badawi neighborhood, between Ashrafieh and Bourj Hammoud. He was the ninth of his siblings. His father had moved from the southern town of Bazouriye to Beirut, where he opened a small shop to support the family.
The family returned to southern Lebanon due to the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War. There, Nasrallah joined the Amal Movement, serving as its representative in his predominantly leftist hometown.
Although his family was not particularly religious, the young Nasrallah showed an interest in religious studies. This led him to the city of Najaf in Iraq, where he deepened his Islamic studies and met Abbas al-Musawi.
At the onset of Saddam Hussein's rule, Nasrallah and others were expelled from Iraq due to their religious leanings. He returned to Lebanon and began teaching at a seminary in Baalbek, later becoming the Amal Movement's representative in Bekaa and a member of its central political bureau.
Political disagreements with Amal Movement's leadership led a group of cadres, influenced by the Iranian Islamic Revolution, to establish a faction known as the Islamic Jihad movement, which became the nucleus of Hezbollah. Nasrallah was among its founding members.
In his twenties, Nasrallah was tasked with Hezbollah's mobilization efforts and forming military cells to fight Israel. He later took charge of Hezbollah's operations in Beirut.
However, seeking to deepen his religious knowledge, he spent three years studying in the Iranian city of Qom before returning to Lebanon, where he was elected to Hezbollah's Shura Council and appointed head of its executive council.
Despite his young age, he was chosen in 1992 as Hezbollah's third secretary-general following the assassination of al-Musawi.
Nasrallah's selection as secretary-general was due to his leadership skills, influence over the public, and passionate speeches, having begun giving sermons at the age of 19.
Several pivotal moments shaped his life, most notably the martyrdom of his son, Hadi, who was 17 when he was killed in 1997 during an operation against an Israeli military outpost in Jabal er Rafiaa.
Nasrallah led two wars against Israel in 1993 and 1996. The second war culminated in the April Understanding. In 2000, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's decision to withdraw from Lebanon on May 25 marked a major victory for Hezbollah, the resistance, and Lebanon, significantly boosting Nasrallah's popularity.
Nasrallah played a key role in the 2004 hostage exchange between Hezbollah and Israel, which led to the release of hundreds of Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners.
However, his insistence on freeing Samir Kuntar prompted him to carry out an operation on July 12, 2006, to capture Israeli soldiers in exchange for Kuntar. This operation dubbed the "True Promise," triggered a major military confrontation that lasted a month before the adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
A year earlier, Nasrallah had appeared in downtown Beirut to thank Syria for its support of Lebanon following its withdrawal under both domestic and international pressure.
Nasrallah personally participated in dialogue sessions in the Lebanese parliament, marking his first comprehensive appearance with various Lebanese leaders. He initially agreed to the formation of an international tribunal to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. However, years later, the tribunal accused Hezbollah members of involvement in the operation.
In May 2008, following a decision by Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government to dismantle Hezbollah's private communication network and prevent the party from extending it in Beirut and other areas, clashes erupted between Hezbollah and its supporters on one side and its opponents on the other, lasting several days.
After the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, Hezbollah intervened initially to protect what it called Shiite holy sites before fully engaging in the war—a move that other Lebanese factions opposed.
Nasrallah's strong ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran were evident in many of his speeches, where he reiterated his allegiance to the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Under Nasrallah's leadership, Hezbollah evolved into a military force described as the most powerful non-state army in the world, with more than 50,000 fighters and an additional 50,000 reservists. He established parallel health, social, and economic units to support Hezbollah's base, relying heavily on Iranian financial support.
His decision to back Hamas in Gaza on October 8 triggered an escalating conflict with Israel. This intensified dramatically with a series of severe military attacks in the last two weeks of September. Finally, an unprecedented Israeli airstrike targeted Hezbollah's headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut, resulting in Nasrallah's assassination.
Hassan Nasrallah was 64 years old at the time of his martyrdom, having spent exactly half of his life leading Hezbollah. His loss will undoubtedly leave a significant void in the party, in Lebanon, and across the region, given his immense charisma and influence, both among his supporters and even those who opposed him.