Who is Hassan Nasrallah – the Hezbollah leader killed by Israel?
Hassan Nasrallah was killed in the latest Israeli attacks on the Lebanese capital, according to Israel.
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 MPs as well.
A picture of Hassan Nasrallah during a funeral for a Hezbollah member. Pic: Reuters
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 has led Hezbollah into wars against Israel and taken part in the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
Under his leadership, the group has been transformed from a mainly military force into a major political player in Lebanon with elected MPs.
Nasrallah cemented Hezbollah as an arch-enemy of Israel, seeking deeper alliances with Shia religious leaders in Iran and Palestinian militant groups like Hamas.
Nasrallah holds the title of Sayyed, an honorific meant to signify the Shia cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad.
Nasrallah has countless followers across the Arab and Islamic world, but he is viewed as an extremist in much of the West.
People watch Nasrallah delivering a televised address in Beirut. Pic: Reuters
In the present day, his relevance is not confined to Lebanon and he is the most influential leader within Iran’s Axis of Resistance and his death would be a big blow to all of the groups involved.
Despite the power he wields, Nasrallah lives in hiding for fear of an Israeli assassination attempt.
After the most recent attack, many of his followers will fear that that worry has become a reality.
Despite rapid statements that Nasrallah was “safe” there has not been an update since, and there is confusion over the fate of the Hezbollah leader.
The blast site is so large, it will take time for rescue workers to find the dead. The number of civilians killed is likely to rise considerably.
👉 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 have continued their battle and still seek the destruction of Israel.
Pic: Reuters
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 Sayyed Abbas 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.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
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 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 has tried to strike a defiant tone even as Israel strikes again and again at his organisation.
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.
Donald Trump has threatened Russia with more sanctions after a series of deadly strikes across Ukraine, as he said of Vladimir Putin: “What the hell happened to him?”
The US president appeared aghast at the conduct of his counterpart in the Kremlin after drone and missile attacks in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities left 12 people dead and dozens more injured.
Trump criticises Putin – latest updates
Speaking to reporters at an airport in New Jersey ahead of a flight back to Washington, Mr Trump said: “I’m not happy with Putin. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“He’s killing a lot of people,” he added. “I’m not happy about that.”
Mr Trump – who said he’s “always gotten along with” Mr Putin – told reporters he would consider more sanctions against Moscow.
“He’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” he said.
Ukraine said the barrage of strikes overnight into Sunday was the biggest aerial attack of the war so far, with 367 drones and missiles fired by Russian forces.
It came despite Mr Trump repeatedly talking up the chances of a peace agreement. He even spoke to Mr Putin on the phone for two hours last week.
Read more from Sky News:
Trump says will postpone 50% tariffs on EU until July
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Hundreds of drones fired at Ukraine
‘Shameful’ attacks
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is ready to sign a ceasefire deal, and suggested Russia isn’t serious about signing one.
In a statement after the latest attacks on his country, he urged the US and other national leaders to increase the pressure on Mr Putin, saying silence “only encourages” him.
Mr Trump’s envoy for the country, Keith Kellogg, later demanded a ceasefire, describing the Russian attacks as “shameful”.
Three children were among those killed in the attacks, explosions shaking the cities of Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv.
Ukrainian siblings Tamara, 12, Stanislav, eight, and Roman, 17, were killed in Russian airstrikes. Pic: X/@Mariana_Betsa
Before the onslaught, Russia said it had faced a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday. It said around 100 were intercepted and destroyed near Moscow and in central and southern regions.
The violence has escalated despite Russia and Ukraine completing the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each over the past three days.
Donald Trump says he will delay the imposition of 50% tariffs on goods entering the United States from the European Union until July, as the two sides attempt to negotiate a trade deal.
It comes after the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a post on social media site X that she had spoken to Mr Trump and expressed that they needed until 9 July to “reach a good deal”.
The US president had last Friday threatened to bring in the 50% tariffs from 1 June, as European leaders said they were ready to respond with their own measures.
But Mr Trump has now said that date has been put back to 9 July to allow more time for negotiations with the 27-member bloc, with the phone call appearing to smooth over tensions for now at least.
Speaking on Sunday before boarding Air Force One for Washington DC, Mr Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Ms Von der Leyen and she “wants to get down to serious negotiations” and she vowed to “rapidly get together and see if we can work something out”.
The US president, in comments on his Truth Social platform, had reignited fears last Friday of a trade war between the two powers when he said talks were “going nowhere” and the bloc was “very difficult to deal with”.
Mr Trump told the media in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday that Ms Von der Leyen “just called me… and she asked for an extension in the June 1st date. And she said she wants to get down to serious negotiation”.
“We had a very nice call and I agreed to move it. I believe July 9th would be the date. That was the date she requested. She said we will rapidly get together and see if we can work something out,” the US president added.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Shortly after, he wrote on Truth Social: “I agreed to the extension – July 9, 2025 – It was my privilege to do so.”
On his so-called “liberation day” last month, Mr Trump unleashed tariffs on many of America’s trade partners. But since then he’s backed down in a spiralling tit-for-tat tariff face-off with China, and struck a deal with the UK.
Read more from Sky News:
Gail’s backer plots rare move with bid for steak chain Flat Iron
AA owners line up banks to steer path towards £4.5bn exit
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
12 May: US and China reach agreement on tariffs
Much of his most incendiary rhetoric on trade has been directed at Brussels, though, even going as far as to claim the EU was created to rip the US off.
Responding to his 50% tariff threat, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said: “EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.
“We stand ready to defend our interests.”
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway