The killing of Hassan Nasrallah marks the end of an era for Hezbollah

Israel dealt a major blow to Hezbollah when it assassinated Hassan Nasrallah in a massive airstrike on September 27. File | Photo credit: AFP

The killing of Hezbollah's powerful leader Hassan Nasrallah has marked a sea change for the Iran-backed Lebanese movement and revived calls for it to hand over its vast arsenal of weapons.

“Nasrallah’s death marked the end of an era,” said analyst Sam Heller of the US think tank Century Foundation. After decades at the top, his death “will necessarily mean a change for the organization,” he added.

Nasrallah's influence extended beyond his loyal Shiite Muslim support base in Lebanon. He was a key pillar of Iran's “Axis of Resistance” against the US and Israel, which also includes other armed groups in the Middle East and Syria.

Israel dealt Hezbollah a major blow when it assassinated Nasrallah on September 27 in a massive airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs that catapulted the movement into a new era.

Hezbollah was already in a year of cross-border firefights with Israel, which it began in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Over the past month, Israel has stepped up attacks on Hezbollah strongholds and deployed ground troops, killing one member of the group's leadership after another.

Nasrallah, who had led the group since 1992, led operations against Israel for decades and achieved cult status among his followers during the 2006 war.

According to Mr. Heller, “He was the key decision maker of the organization as it grew to prominence in Lebanon and the region.”

The group's ruling Shura Council has yet to appoint a successor. Hashem Safieddine, a cleric slated for the post, was killed by Israel just days after Nasrallah. Hezbollah is now led by a group of leaders, according to its deputy chief Naim Qassem.

Lebanese officials, including Prime Minister Najib Mikati, said their contact with the group had been lost for weeks.

Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, is tasked with speaking on behalf of the group, Qassem said recently.

According to local media reports, Mr. Berri is believed to be pushing for a ceasefire. Hezbollah had long linked a ceasefire in Lebanon to an end to fighting in Gaza, a position it has not yet officially reversed.

Even as the group has fallen behind, its fighters continue to fire dozens of rockets into Israel every day.

This week, Hezbollah claimed to have carried out a drone strike on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in the coastal city of Caesarea. The group says Israeli forces have failed to gain complete control of a village in Lebanon weeks after launching a ground invasion.

Israeli forces operating in Lebanon “are encountering very stiff resistance and are being forced to retreat under heavy blows,” a source close to Hezbollah said.

Hezbollah has an advantage, he said, because it fights on its own turf and knows what “trees and rocks” it can hide behind.

“A war cannot end…”

Hezbollah is widely believed to be better armed than Lebanon's national military and remains the only group that has not surrendered its weapons following the 1975-1990 civil war.

After years of dominating political life in Lebanon, Hezbollah is facing new demands from its critics inside the country for change.

Lebanese computer engineer Elie Jabbour said he believes the only way forward is for Hezbollah to give up its weapons.

“The war cannot end until Hezbollah is disarmed,” he said.