Hezbollah is part of a larger Axis of Resistance, countering U.S. and Israeli influence throughout the Middle East.

On Saturday (Sep. 28, 2024), the Lebanese national resistance [Hezbollah] announced the martyrdom of its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh on Friday.

The announcements of Nasrallah’s martyrdom has been followed by a lot of remarks made by Arab and foreign leaders, politicians who condemned the assassination, offered their condolences to martyr’s family and praised the martyr in many words.

According to an article published by the Middle East Eye on Sep. 27, 2024 and updated on Sep. 30, 2024, Hezbollah grew from a local armed movement to the largest political party in Lebanon’s recent history, under Nasrallah, whose surname translated as “victory through God”.

The article entitled “Who was Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah – and why did he matter?” indicated that in 2018 Lebanese parliamentary elections, Hezbollah won more than 340,000 preferential votes, the most for any party in Lebanon since independence.

Opinions on Nasrallah were often divided. He enjoyed wide support among many Lebanese, especially Shia and those in south Lebanon.

Much of this relates to how Hezbollah has become a major regional military force, driving Israel out of south Lebanon. Supporters say Lebanon’s south has been able to enjoy two decades of unprecedented peace.

Many respected his humble lifestyle, in contrast to many Lebanese leaders and politicians; Nasrallah divulged in one interview that his monthly salary was not more than $1,300.

Nor had he expressed fear as to how he is regarded.

“I don’t wait for history to absolve me…what matters is that God absolves us and we satisfy him,” Nasrallah said in an interview in 2016.

Image: Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos

In this context, British historian, analyst and author, Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos, told the Iranian News Agency (IRNA) that Israel’s assassination of Nasrallah will yield no positive results for “Israel”.

“Indeed, that act, which constitutes a severe violation of international law, will serve only to strengthen what is known as “ the Resistance Movement in West Asia”. Furthermore, the murder of a politician whose party forms part of the Lebanese government will also convince people across the world of the dangers of the “Israeli State”, while augmenting the already formed view of millions of people in all four corners of the world that the Israelis are one of the main sources of global instability,” the analyst clarified.

He underscored that for all intents and purposes, the military arm of Hezbollah is a conventional fighting force- and a formidable one at that.

“Hezbollah is very well trained, very well equipped, very well motivated, and very well led, and is battle hardened, having gained invaluable experience in fighting both Al-Qaeda and ISIS during the war in Syria(compare and contrast that with Israel, who aided and abetted both of those putrid terrorist organizations in their savage war against the Syrian people). In addition to that, the command and structure of Hezbollah’s military arm is extremely robust and proficient, meaning that no amount of Israeli attacks can decapitate it. Then there is the reality that Hezbollah, as a whole, is very popular amongst Lebanese, including Christians , hence the flow of support, and recruits, to the “Party of God” will not be disrupted by the murder of Nasrallah, indeed, the Israeli act will increase this flow,” Papadopoulos added.

He believes that Israel won’t launch a major invasion of Lebanon again because the Israeli military is bogged down in Gaza and it would be very risky for “Israel” to fight a war on two fronts- not just military but economically, too. And then there is the matter of the militarily arm of Hezbollah.

“I do not believe that the Israeli military can defeat Hezbollah in a ground fight. If the Israelis could not defeat Hezbollah in 2006, even with their formidable air power, then they most certainly can not do so today, given that the overall capacity for war of Hezbollah has grown enormously since 2006,” Papadopoulos said.

Image: Dr. Marwa Osman

For her part, the Lebanese journalist Dr. Marwa Osman said in a reply to my question on the importance of Hezbollah to Lebanon and beyond that this issue requires understanding that the group is not just a political party or a military force. Hezbollah is a resistance movement that emerged out of necessity to defend Lebanon against Israeli aggression, especially during the occupation of South Lebanon. Today, Hezbollah has evolved into a multifaceted organization that encompasses political, social, and military dimensions, playing a pivotal role in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty.

“In Lebanon, Hezbollah’s presence has been crucial for maintaining a deterrence balance with Israel. After the 2006 war, this balance has prevented major Israeli invasions and assaults on Lebanese soil. Hezbollah’s military capabilities, intelligence assets, and disciplined structure are a key deterrent force that the Lebanese state itself lacks,” she added.

As for Hezbollah’s role beyond Lebanon’s borders, Osman clarified that Hezbollah has become a significant regional player. Its support for resistance groups across Palestine and its involvement in the global war against Syria demonstrate that Hezbollah’s role is much broader. This is not about ‘interfering’ but rather about confronting a common threat. The group sees itself as part of a larger Axis of Resistance, countering U.S. and Israeli influence throughout the Middle East.

“Now, after Israel’s assassination of top Hezbollah leaders and the continued genocide in Gaza, Hezbollah had no choice but to respond. The opening of a support front in Lebanon for Gaza isn’t merely a show of solidarity, it’s a strategic response. The group is making it clear that it will not allow Israel to annihilate the resistance in Gaza without consequences. By creating a northern front, Hezbollah is stretching Israel’s military resources, forcing it to fight on multiple fronts, and ultimately protecting the Palestinian cause,” she said.

Osman concluded by saying:

“Hezbollah’s significance goes beyond its military strength. It represents an ideological stance against occupation and domination, making it an indispensable part of the resistance framework in the region. If Hezbollah did not exist, Israel’s aggression would go unchecked, not only in Lebanon but across the Middle East. This is why the resistance group remains a key actor in shaping the geopolitical dynamics of the region, and its role will only grow stronger as long as there are people willing to stand up to Israeli and Western hegemony.”

Contrary to fabricated Western perceptions, Hezbollah is on the “right side of history” in terms of international law and morality.

It is Hezbollah that has helped Syria and its allies defeat Western and Zionist-supported ISIS and al Qaeda in Syria.

Hezbollah has helped to protect and defend Syrian Christian communities, including Maaloula, from Western-supported sectarian terrorists.

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Hezbollah is protecting Lebanon from a criminal Zionist land invasion, and it is Hezbollah that is resisting the Western-supported Zionist genocide of Palestinians at this moment.

Hezbollah and the Resistance occupy the moral and legal high ground against Washington’s terrorist-supporting colonialism that continues to ravage, plunder, and destroy globally beneath war lies of humanitarianism and other false pretexts.

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Mark Taliano is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG) and the author of Voices from Syria, Global Research Publishers, 2017. He writes on his website where this article was originally published.

Basma Qaddour is a Syrian journalist and co-authour of Voices from Syria, Second Edition.

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