SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
To many, Nasrallah is the leader of a terrorist organization, but to others in the Middle East, as we just heard, he's viewed as a hero. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi takes a closer look at who he was.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HASSAN NASRALLAH: (Speaking in non-English language).
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: In a fiery speech at a podium in Lebanon in 2000, Hassan Nasrallah compares Israel's military capability to a weak spiderweb.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
NASRALLAH: (Speaking in non-English language).
AL-SHALCHI: It was in this year that the longtime Hezbollah leader became an icon. He had just led his militia in a war that pushed Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon, ending an 18-year occupation. Nasrallah was born to an impoverished Shiite family in the north of Lebanon. Before co-founding Hezbollah, Nasrallah learned the ropes in the Amal Movement, a Shiite political and paramilitary group. He was chosen to be Hezbollah's leader two days after its head, Abbas Musawi, was killed by the Israeli military in 1992.
He became famous for his thick beard, black turban, cloak and charisma. Speaking with a slight lisp, Nasrallah appealed to regular Arabs. Mohamad Bazzi is the director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies at New York University.
MOHAMAD BAZZI: He was speaking as if he was sitting with people in a cafe. He had this accessible style that resonated with people.
AL-SHALCHI: Nasrallah was a hero to many Arabs who were disillusioned with their own leaders. His son, Hadi, was killed fighting the occupying Israeli Army in 1997.
BAZZI: An extreme contrast to most of the other political leaders in Lebanon, whose children would be sent to Switzerland, to - and to universities. And so that solidified that he was making the same kinds of sacrifices that he was asking other people's children to make.
AL-SHALCHI: For much of the last two decades, Nasrallah was only ever seen on television and never in public for fear of assassination attempts. When Nasrallah spoke, the region and, begrudgingly, the Israeli security establishment had to stop and listen to the message he was about to convey.
BAZZI: The political priorities, the military priorities of Hezbollah - there was also a sense that Nasrallah meant what he said.
AL-SHALCHI: For the Israelis, Nasrallah was a terrorist who kept their northern borders unendingly threatened. He was involved in the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon that killed over 200 U.S. servicemen in the early '80s. Nasrallah also backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the brutal 2011 civil war that killed thousands of Sunni Muslims.
BAZZI: He's also going to be remembered as a sectarian leader. And people aren't going to forget that, so it'll be this dual legacy.
AL-SHALCHI: Hezbollah and Israel began trading fire the day after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7. Hostilities intensified last week when thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded around Lebanon. Lebanese health officials said the explosions killed 39 people. Nasrallah appeared on television for the last time on September 19, denouncing the Israeli pager operation.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
NASRALLAH: (Speaking non-English language).
AL-SHALCHI: "Retribution will come," he said. "Its manner, size, how and where - that, we will keep to ourselves." The White House said today that Nasrallah's death was a, quote, "measure of justice" for many victims. Nasrallah is survived by his wife and four children. He was 64. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News.
DETROW: We'll have more on the Nasrallah assassination and what it means for the wider region later in the show. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
