Understanding Hassan Nasrallah, the long-serving leader of Hezbollah

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On Saturday, Israel announced that it had killed Nasrallah, delivering a severe blow to the Lebanese militant group after months of conflict. There has been no immediate verification from Hezbollah. If the claim is true, Nasrallah is by far the most powerful target to be killed by Israel in weeks of intensified fighting with Hezbollah. Here’s a look at the leader: Following Israel’s retreat from southern Lebanon in 2000, Nasrallah became a revered figure in Lebanon and across the Arab region. His speeches were broadcast on Hezbollah’s private radio and satellite television channel. That status was further cemented when, in 2006, Hezbollah fought Israel to a stalemate during the 34-day war. During the eruption of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Hezbollah fighters swiftly intervened, backing Assad’s troops — despite a decline in Hezbollah’s favorability as the Arab world isolated Assad. Nasrallah’s role in the current conflict In speeches throughout the conflict, he has argued that Hezbollah’s cross-border strikes had pulled away Israeli forces that would otherwise be focused on Hamas in Gaza and insisted that Hezbollah would not halt its attacks on Israel until a cease-fire is reached in Gaza. Nasrallah has maintained a defiant tone, even as tensions rose dramatically in recent weeks with Israel announcing a new phase in the conflict intended to push Hezbollah back from the border to allow thousands displaced from northern Israel to return. Israel launched strikes killing top military commanders with the group and was blamed for the explosion of thousands of communications devices, mainly used by Hezbollah members, that killed 37 people and wounded thousands.