Who was Hassan Nasrallah - the Hezbollah leader killed by Israel?

Hassan Nasrallah has been killed in the latest Israeli attacks on the Lebanese capital.

A passionate and fiery orator, Nasrallah was the leader of the Shia political and military faction Hezbollah.

The secretary general of Hezbollah is considered by many to be the single most powerful individual in Lebanon with as many as 100,000 fighters at his disposal and members of his group being politicians in the country's parliament as well.

What is Hezbollah?

Nasrallah was born in Beirut in 1960, where he was described as a devout and motivated student of Islam.

He joined Hezbollah in 1982, the year it was formed, and rose through its ranks.

The 64-year-old led Hezbollah into wars against Israel and took part in the conflict in neighbouring Syria.

Under his leadership, the group was transformed from a mainly military force into a major political player in Lebanon with elected politicians.

Nasrallah cemented Hezbollah as an arch-enemy of Israel, seeking deeper alliances with Shia religious leaders in Iran and Palestinian militant groups like Hamas.

Until his death, he held the title of Sayyed, an honorific meant to signify the Shia cleric's lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad.

Nasrallah had countless followers across the Arab and Islamic world, but he was viewed as an extremist in much of the West.

In the present day, his relevance was not confined to Lebanon and he was one of the most influential leader within Iran's Axis of Resistance.

His death will be a big blow to all of the groups involved.

After an attempt on his life in 2006, Nasrallah spent years in hiding.

On Friday, among waves of attacks on Lebanon, Israel targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut where they claimed a Hezbollah senior leadership meeting was taking place.

Despite rapid statements that Nasrallah was "safe" in the aftermath, Israel claimed that they had successfully killed Nasrallah.

"Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorise the world," the IDF said.

This was followed a few hours later by Hezbollah themselves confirming the death, but striking a defiant tone as they vowed to continue fighting.

"The leadership of Hezbollah pledges to the highest, holiest, and most precious martyr in our path full of sacrifices and martyrs to continue its jihad in confronting the enemy, supporting Gaza and Palestine, and defending Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people," they said.

? Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts ?

How did he rise to power?

Born to a poor Shia family in Beirut's impoverished suburb of Sharshabouk, Nasrallah was later displaced to south Lebanon.

After studying theology, he joined the Amal movement, a political and paramilitary organisation, before joining Hezbollah in the year it was created.

Hezbollah was formed by Iranian Revolutionary Guard members who travelled to Lebanon in the summer of 1982 to fight invading Israeli forces.

They achieved their goal of ending the occupation of southern Lebanon years later, but continued their battle and still seek the destruction of Israel.

Hezbollah was the first group that Iran backed and used as a vehicle to export its brand of politics.

Two days after its then leader, 39-year-old Abbas al Musawi, was killed in an Israeli helicopter gunship raid in south Lebanon, Hezbollah chose Nasrallah as its new secretary general in February 1992.

Under Nasrallah's leadership, Hezbollah is credited with leading the war of attrition that led to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon in 2000.

After this victory, his status rose and was further cemented in 2006 when Hezbollah fought Israel to a stalemate during the 34-day war.

However, his popularity took a hit when Syria's civil war erupted in 2011 and Hezbollah fighters rushed in and sided with Bashar al Assad's forces - even as he was ostracised by the Arab world.

Role in the Israel-Hamas war

A day after the 7 October attacks in Israel, Hezbollah began attacking Israeli military posts along the border and calling it a "backup front" for Gaza.

Tit-for-tat strikes have been traded almost daily since, and over the past weeks, as tensions have risen further, Nasrallah tried to strike a defiant tone.

After Israel announced a new phase in the conflict looking toward its northern border, a series of pager and radio explosions rocked Lebanon, seemingly aimed at Hezbollah members.

They kickstarted the most recent waves of attacks on Lebanon.

Who could succeed Nasrallah?

With most of Hezbollah's senior commanders believed dead after Israel's airstrikes in Lebanon, Hashem Safieddine has been tipped by some to become the group's next leader.

He currently serves as head of Hezbollah's executive council, which oversees the group's political affairs, and also sits on the Jihad Council.

A cousin of Nasrallah, Safieddine is a cleric and was designated as a terrorist in 2017 by the US State Department.

At an event in June, he threatened Israel and said: "Let [the enemy] prepare himself to cry and wail."

(c) Sky News 2024: Who was Hassan Nasrallah - the Hezbollah leader killed by Israel?