Al Monitor – September 28, 2024
From Yemen to Turkey, Mideast reacts to death of Hezbollah's Nasrallah
Leaders and groups in the Middle East have reacted to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed Friday in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut.
Rosaleen Carroll
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was killed on Friday in an Israeli airstrike targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut. 
[An image released by the Israeli military shows the command structure of Hezbollah.]
The Israeli military dropped an estimated 80 bombs — including “bunker-busting” munitions aimed at Hezbollah’s headquarters, where Israeli intelligence reported Nasrallah and other senior officials were meeting. The attack killed at least 11 people and injured 108, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The deputy commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Abbas Nilforoushan, was also killed in the strikes, Iranian state media reported on Saturday. Nilforoushan served as the IRGC’s deputy of operations and in 2022 was sanctioned by the US for suppression of protests in Iran.
In a statement, Hezbollah mourned Nasrallah as a “brave martyr,” praising his nearly three decades of leadership.
The Israeli military named the operation New Order and described it as a decisive blow to the group’s command structure, which has been severely weakened by recent Israeli strikes.
“The Israeli military carried out one of the most important countermeasures in the history of the State of Israel. This operation closed a long-standing reckoning with the master murderer Nasrallah," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reacted swiftly with a post on his official website Saturday that condemned the assassination and urged Muslims to stand with Hezbollah in “confronting the usurping and wicked regime [of Israel].”
“The fate of this region will be determined by the forces of resistance,” Khamenei said. Hezbollah has acted as a key proxy group for Iran in the region over the past decade.
Hamas also denounced the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of terrorism” and expressing solidarity with Hezbollah and the Lebanese people. “This massacre shows once again the bloodiness and brutality of the Zionist regime,” Hamas said in a statement.
Yemen’s Houthis similarly mourned Nasrallah, saying that his death “will increase the strength of sacrifice … determination and continuity.”
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, announced a three-day mourning period in Lebanon while speaking at an emergency cabinet meeting he convened on Saturday. Mikati told the cabinet that "danger is threatening" Lebanon.
Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun expressed sorrow over Nasrallah’s death, saying, “Lebanon loses a distinguished and honest leader who led the national resistance on the paths of victory and liberation. He was faithful to his promise and loyal to his people who reciprocated his love, trust and commitment.”
“I see that the dangers our country is witnessing as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression require rising to the highest level of national solidarity that protects and fortifies our unity,” Aoun wrote on X.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also condemned Israel’s actions following the assassination, though he did not mention Nasrallah by name. "The Israeli government is becoming more and more reckless as it is pampered by the powers that provide arms and ammunition for its massacres; it is defying all humanity, human values and international law," Erdogan said in a statement on X.
Both Iraq and Syria declared on Saturday three days of public mourning for Nasrallah. In a post on X from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s office, he called Israel’s assassination of Nasrallah a “criminal act” that crossed “all red lines.”
Meanwhile, videos circulating on social media showed Syrians in rebel-held areas celebrating Nasrallah’s death. Hezbollah has been an ally of Syria's Assad regime and helped fight the Syrian opposition during the country's civil war, which helped to keep Bashar al-Assad in power.
President Joe Biden, whose administration has denied prior knowledge of Israel's strike on Nasrallah, called his death "a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese civilians." The US "fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups," Biden said.
Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement similar to Biden's on Saturday: "Today, Hezbollah’s victims have a measure of justice,” she said.
“I have an unwavering commitment to the security of Israel. I will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis,” Harris added.
The death of Hezbollah’s leader has fueled speculation about potential retaliation from its key backer, Iran — yet Iran has repeatedly signaled that it does not want a wider war. On Saturday, Hezbollah launched an estimated 90 rockets into the western Galilee region of northern Israel, according to the Israeli military.
Israel’s ongoing offensive in Lebanon, including the strike that killed Nasrallah, has killed more than 700 people so far.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/09/yemen-turkey-mideast-reacts-death-hezbollahs-nasrallah
Al Jazeera – September 28, 2024
United Nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Saturday he was “gravely concerned” by the “dramatic escalation” seen in Lebanon in the past day as Israel targets Hezbollah in the capital Beirut, a UN spokesperson said.
“This cycle of violence must stop now, and all sides must step back from the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war,” the statement said.
Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all captives held there.
Russia
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a statement where it strongly condemns Israel’s killing of Nasrallah and calls on Israel to stop hostilities in Lebanon.
“This forceful action is fraught with even greater dramatic consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East,” the statement said.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the UN General Assembly he is concerned “by the now almost commonplace practice of political killings”.
Germany
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned the situation in Lebanon is extremely dangerous and that the entire region could slip further into an “absolute spiral of violence”.
“The situation poses a serious threat to stability in the region, and the stability of Lebanon, and this never serves the security and interests of Israel,” Baerbock wrote on X.
France
The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it is in contact with the Lebanese authorities and France’s partners in the region to prevent destabilisation and conflagration.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, a left-wing French politician and former Member of the European Parliament, said the assassination “is one more step towards the invasion of Lebanon and general war”.
In a post on X, he said: “France no longer counts on the ground. Netanyahu’s crimes will continue since they are unpunished. The danger is extreme for the region and the world.”
Cuba
In a post on X, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called the killing a "cowardly targeted assassination" that "seriously threatens regional and global peace and security, for which Israel bears full responsibility with the complicity of the United States."
Argentina
Right-wing Argentine President Javier Milei, who has strongly supported Israel, reposted on X a message from a member of his council of economic advisers, David Epstein, who hailed the killing.
"Israel eliminated one of the greatest contemporary murderers. Responsible, among others, for the cowardly attacks in #ARG," it said. "Today the world is a little freer".
Saudi Arabia
Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told the UN that "this escalation will have... negative repercussions for the entire region".
"We call upon all parties to show wisdom and to show restraint in order to avoid a true war from breaking out in the region."
Venezuela
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expressed solidarity with Nasrallah and Lebanon.
"They want to justify it, but to assassinate him, they attacked buildings, housing estates and killed hundreds of people. There's a word for this: crime."
https://www.newarab.com/news/world-leaders-react-israels-killing-hassan-nasrallah
China
China said it is "deeply concerned" and "closely following" soaring tensions in the Middle East, after Israel killed Hezbollah leader.
"China is closely following this incident and deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions in the region," Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement, urging "all parties, particularly Israel, to take immediate steps to cool down the situation."
Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described Nasrallah as "the leader of a terrorist organisation that attacked and killed innocent civilians, causing immense suffering across the region".
But he called for more to be done to protect civilians in the conflict, adding: "We urge calm and restraint during this critical time."
Pakistan
Pakistan on Sunday condemned Israeli “adventurism” in the Middle East region, terming the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon a “reckless act”, constituting a major escalation in the region.
A statement released by the Foreign Office today read, “Pakistan strongly condemns the growing Israeli adventurism in the Middle East. Its unbridled attacks on civilian populations and disregard of international law have reached alarming levels.”
It noted that for the past several days, Israel had “engaged in unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon, relentlessly targeting civilian population centers, and undermining its stability and security”.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of Israeli aggression and the people of Lebanon,” the statement said.
“Pakistan continues to stand in solidarity with the people of Lebanon,” it added, urging the United Nations Security Council to stop Israel from its “adventurism in the region and violations of international law”.
Reuters – September 28, 2024
MOHAMMED SHIA AL-SUDANI, IRAQ'S PRIME MINISTER
He said the killing of Nasrallah showed "the reckless desire to expand the conflict at the expense of all the peoples of the region and their security and stability".
MOQTADA EL SADR, IRAQI SHI'ITE MUSLIM POLITICIAN
He said he mourned Nasrallah as "his companion in resistance".
GEBRAN BASSIL, LEADING LEBANESE CHRISTIAN POLITICIAN
He said he mourned the death of Nasrallah as a major loss and said it was a hard time for all Lebanese, adding: "In the face of the Israeli enemy, we have no choice but to be together as Lebanese."
AFP – September 28, 2024
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's Tehran-aligned government called Nasrallah's killing an act of "despicable aggression" by Israel. A Syrian foreign ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA said the assassination confirms Israel's "barbarism and wanton disregard for all international standards and laws".
Bahrain's outlawed Shiite opposition movement Al-Wefaq said Nasrallah would serve as "an eternal symbol of resistance and support for the oppressed".
Al Jazeera – September 28, 2024
Who will succeed Hassan Nasrallah as Hezbollah’s next leader?
Nasrallah was Hezbollah’s leader since 1992. His killing leaves a major void in the group’s leadership that will be difficult to fill.
Beirut, Lebanon – The killing of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah leaves a vacuum inside a movement that has already had much of its leadership decapitated as a result of months of Israeli assassinations.
But Nasrallahﾒs death on Friday evening, during a massive Israeli attack on southern Beirut, marks the passing of not just a figurehead, but the man who embodied the Lebanese Shia movement in the eyes of its supporters and the wider region.
Nasrallah became secretary-general of Hezbollah in 1992 while he was in his 30s, and he led the movement for the majority of its existence. Finding a replacement of a similar stature will be difficult for Hezbollah, as it looks ahead to continued Israeli attacks and even a possible ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
There are, however, two leading figures thought to be in contention to be Nasrallah’s successor: Hashem Safieddine and Naim Qassem. Here’s what you need to know about them.
Hashem Safieddine
The head of Hezbollah’s executive council and a cousin of Nasrallah, Safieddine is widely thought to be in pole position to become the movement’s next secretary-general.
Born in 1964 in the southern village of Deir Qanoun en-Nahr, near Tyre, Safieddine studied theology together with Nasrallah in the two main centres of Shia religious learning, the Iraqi city of Najaf and Qom, in Iran. Both joined Hezbollah in the organisation’s early days.
Safieddine comes from a respected Shia family that has produced religious scholars and Lebanese parliamentarians, while his brother Abdullah serves as Hezbollah’s representative to Iran. Safieddine has his own close ties to Iran; his son, Redha, is married to the daughter of Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian general killed in a US strike in 2020.
As well as his role in leading the executive council, Safieddine is also an important member of the group’s Shura Council, and the head of its Jihadi Council. That importance has made him an enemy to Hezbollah’s foreign adversaries. The United States and Saudi Arabia have designated Safieddine a terrorist and frozen his assets.
Naim Qassem
The 71-year-old is Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, and has often been referred to as the movement’s “number two”.
He was born in the Nabatieh governorate’s Kfar Kila, a southern Lebanese village that has suffered through many Israeli attacks, especially since last October.
Qassem has a long history in Shia political activism. In the 1970s, he joined the late Imam Musa al-Sadr’s Movement of the Dispossessed, which eventually became part of the Amal Movement, a Shia group in Lebanon. He later left Amal and went on to help found Hezbollah in the early 1980s, becoming one of the group’s foundational religious scholars.
One of Qassem’s religious mentors was the widely respected Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, and Qassem himself has taught religious classes for decades in Beirut.
The secretive nature of a group like Hezbollah means not all his roles in the organisation are public knowledge. At one point, however, he oversaw part of Hezbollah’s educational network and has also been involved in overseeing the group’s parliamentary activities.
Qassem was elected deputy secretary-general in 1991, under then-Secretary-General Abbas al-Musawi, who was also assassinated by Israel.
He has played an important public-facing role in Hezbollah over the years, and is also a member of the group’s Shura Council.
He famously published a book called, Hezbollah, the Story from Within, in 2005, which was translated into several languages.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/28/who-will-succeed-hassan-nasrallah-as-hezbollahs-next-leader
