Thiloththama Jayasinghe, Jadetimes Staff
T. Jayasinghe is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Political News
The new claim made by the Israeli military, which stated that the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has died, caused resonant reactions in every single part of the region. As stated by sources in Tel Aviv, in an overnight airstrike, which hit Beirut, the target and the killed militant was Nasrallah, a significant figure in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. It would-be if confirmed-the most important turning point in the protracted conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, but also more broadly, in the geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East.
History of Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah
Hassan Nasrallah was handed the leadership of the Hezbollah movement in 1992 after the assassination of his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi. Under his leadership, the group evolved from a relatively small faction of militants into a political and military force within Lebanon. The group is currently sponsored by Iran and Syria and has gone on to confront Israel numerous other times, the most notable being the Lebanon War in 2006.
Nasrallah has been an ardent foe of Israel, seeking the state's destruction, and is actively involved both militarily and politically to counter Israeli influence in the region. He has also been at the center of Hezbollah's support for the Syrian government in the country's civil war, sending fighters to support Bashar al-Assad's regime.
His tenure as a leader has been in hiding; he regularly broadcasts speeches from an unknown location through videos, fearing being targeted by the Israelis. Were it confirmed that the news of his death was true, that would be a big blow to the Hezbollah group, and the political-security dynamics in Lebanon might change substantially.
Israel-Hezbollah Conflict: A Brief Overview
The relations between Israel and Hezbollah have since then been of unabated hostility. Formed in the early 1980s with support from Iran, Hezbollah emerged as a resistance movement against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Its military capabilities grew over time, and today it is both a political party and a paramilitary force influential in Lebanon.
Israel has been involved in a sequence of military clashes with Hezbollah, including the 2006 War. Hundreds were killed on both sides in that war, and big areas in Lebanon were reduced to rubble. A cease-fire eventually came, but tensions remain high.
What began as a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah within Lebanon's borders has incrementally spilled beyond with the former's involvement in Syria and a building arsenal of missiles perceived directly by Israel as a potent threat. Israeli airstrikes within Syria, of which many have targeted positions of Hezbollah and Iranian military assets, have striven to hamper the group's expansion and an influence that is growing steadily.
The Overnight Strike: What We Know So Far
The attack on Beirut is believed to be aimed at the base of Hezbollah's operations and had targeted a place where most of the senior Hezbollah officials were reportedly inhabiting. News of Hassan Nasrallah's killing flowed out from that target. Some details are still filtering in, but up to now, Israeli military spokespeople have not fully confirmed circumstances of Nasrallah's reported death.
So far, Hezbollah has refused to confirm officially the strike and the fate of its leader. In the past, Nasrallah has survived many attempts on his life, only to reappear days or weeks later to refute rumors of his death. And that, say many observers, is a reason to be cautious about the claim by the Israeli military.
Confirmation of Nasrallah's death might bring monumental repercussions to Lebanon and the greater Middle East. Hezbollah-an organization that is both a political party with armed militia-plays a leading role in Lebanese politics; its military arm has become the most critical figure in regional conflicts, especially in Syria. Nasrallah's death would mean that there might be a power vacuum in the leadership of Hezbollah, with possible internal struggles for power or aggressive postures towards Israel as a form of retaliation.
For Israel, it would be considered one of its significant successes in the unrelenting fight with Hezbollah. But it also carries the risk of escalating tensions, including the possibility of a broad retaliatory attack by Hezbollah, as has happened after substantial losses in the past.
International reactions are likely to be mixed: Some countries may welcome Nasrallah's death as a move against Iran's influence in Lebanon and the wider region, while others may express misgivings about the further destabilization of a country already mired in political and economic crises.
What's Next?
Everything now waits for the official confirmation from Hezbollah regarding Nasrallah's fate. The situation remains fluid. If the reports prove to be true, the death of Nasrallah would mark the end of an era for Hezbollah and could prove to be the spark needed to ignite new cycles of violence in a region already on edge. The next few days will prove critical in what has unfolded and how both sides, including Hezbollah and Israel, will continue with this dramatic turn of events.
He is so deeply ingrained into the political fabric of Lebanon that his death might bring about changes within Hezbollah itself and its stance within the current government. The Lebanese government, being weak and divided, may not be able to handle such a situation as the followers of Hezbollah will definitely ask for an immediate and strong retaliation.
The international community will also be eagerly awaiting the development of any signs of increasing confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, since with each military step, wide-ranging implications beyond Lebanon's borders could unfold, pulling in other regional players such as Iran and Syria.
For now, the region holds its breath over the short-term implications of one of the most serious developments regarding the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in recent times.
