From student in Baalbek to Zionists’ nightmare: Epic journey of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

By Lama Al-Makhour

Much has already been written about Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the martyred icon of the resistance front, who dedicated his illustrious life to the cause we all hold dear and attained martyrdom on that very path after years of struggle.

It’s been an absolute honor to live in the same time as Sayyed, to see him, to hear him, to smile with him, to cry with him, and to be inspired by the human being and the leader he was.

We cannot forget the sight of those hundreds of thousands – Arabs, Persians, and Westerners – who gathered in Beirut for his historic funeral procession, chanting in unison: "We are faithful to the covenant, O Nasrallah."

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was not merely a political leader, a party chief, or a military commander. He is an institution that lives on. He is the memory of our victories.

In a country like Lebanon, where consensus is rare – where people seldom share the same opinion, principle, enemy, or friend – Sayyed Nasrallah stood as a model of democracy and cultural, religious, and sectarian openness.

Lebanon is a land of diverse and often opposing political views, yet no honorable person can deny the long history of the Lebanese resistance’s victories over the Israeli enemy – won without conditions or agreements – during the glorious era of Sayyed Nasrallah.

Today, I write for all, those who know of Sayyed Hassan Abdul Karim Nasrallah and those who do not.

Free men are born from the wombs of mothers who weave new histories between their fingers – histories that reshape the world and even the nature of wars. The late Hezbollah leader was raised in an ascetic family and remained so until his assassination in late September last year.

The name of God was ever before his eyes, guiding his every step – from the first ‘no’ he shouted in the face of Israel to the largest missile launched against the usurpers.

I write with the knowledge I have gained through readings and research, recounting an era of victories I had not witnessed before my birth. My sources, and every witness in my family who has testified to history, affirm this truth.

Late 1976: Beginning of the journey with Sayyed Abbas Al-Moussawi

It was in late 1976 that Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah became acquainted with Sayyed Mohammad Al-Gharawi, the prayer leader of Al-Imam Ja'far Al-Sadiq Mosque in Tyre.

Al-Gharawi facilitated his journey to the Iraqi holy city of Najaf and provided him with a letter of recommendation addressed to Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir Al-Sadr – one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Shia history and the founder of the Dawa Movement in the 1960s.

In Najaf, Sayyed Al-Sadr entrusted Sayyed Abbas Al-Moussawi with overseeing Sayyed Nasrallah’s religious studies. A strong friendship formed between the two, deepening over time and ultimately leading to their collaboration in founding Hezbollah years later – an endeavor that would write a significant chapter in Lebanon’s history.

1978: Seminary studies in Baalbek

In 1978, Sayyed Nasrallah returned to Lebanon following the persecution and harassment by the Iraqi Baathist regime against those close to Sayyed Al-Sadr.

Resuming his studies, he also taught Islamic sciences at the Imam Al-Muntazar (PBUH) Seminary in Baalbek, which followed the curriculum of Sayyed Al-Sadr.

1982: Invasion and the founding of Hezbollah

With the Zionist invasion of Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah played a pivotal role in the founding of Hezbollah in Baalbek at just 22 years old.

He actively contributed to mobilizing resistance fighters and establishing military cells that would later form the core of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon.

Over time, he assumed various responsibilities, serving first as Deputy Head of the Beirut Region, then as Head of the Beirut Region.

Eventually, with the creation of the position of General Executive Officer – responsible for implementing the decisions of the Shura Council, Hezbollah’s highest leadership body – Sayyed Nasrallah was appointed to this role, officially becoming a member of the Shura Council.

1989-1991: Passion for advanced religious studies

Around 1989, Sayyed Nasrallah developed a deep passion for advanced religious studies, and his desire to further his knowledge of Islamic sciences led him to travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran to study at the Qom Seminary.

However, the evolving situation in Lebanon under Israeli occupation compelled him to return to Beirut, where he resumed his previous executive responsibilities.

Hence, he had to continue his advanced religious studies in his home country.

February 16, 1992: Beginning of journey as Hezbollah Secretary-General

In 1992, following the assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Abbas Al-Moussawi by the Zionist occupation, Hezbollah’s Shura members unanimously elected Sayyed Nasrallah as his worthy successor.

With his charismatic leadership, he steered Hezbollah toward becoming a formidable regional resistance movement, shaking the foundations of the illegitimate Zionist entity.

In his early speeches as Secretary-General, he reaffirmed Hezbollah’s unwavering commitment to resistance, declaring: “We will complete this path even if we are all killed, even if our homes are destroyed over our heads. We will not abandon the choice of resistance.” (February 18, 1992)

1992: Beginning of political participation

Later in 1992, a few months after the assassination of Sayyed Abbas, Sayyed Nasrallah led Hezbollah’s political engagement by spearheading its participation in parliamentary elections.

Hezbollah secured several seats in the South and Bekaa governorates, and in subsequent elections, its parliamentary bloc grew, eventually becoming known as the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc.

September 13, 1997: Joining the big families of martyrs

In 1997, Sayyed Nasrallah’s eldest son Sayyed Hadi Nasrallah was martyred in Jabal Al-Rafi' during clashes with Israeli occupation forces.

With his son’s martyrdom, Sayyed Nasrallah and his family joined the ranks of the families of martyrs – a status he regarded as an immense blessing.

Expressing gratitude to God, he stated: “I thank God Almighty for His great blessings, that He looked upon my family with such a generous eye and chose from among them a martyr.”

1992-2000: Leading the march of liberation

Starting in 1992, and over eight years, the scale of resistance operations grew both in quantity and quality. The movement worked tirelessly to enhance its capabilities and diversify its military arsenal, intensifying its strategic operations that ultimately forced the occupation to withdraw on May 25, 2000, after an 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon.

This victory established the equation “the eye resists the awl” – the principle that what was taken by force can only be reclaimed through force.

Liberation, it became clear, could only be achieved through military action and resistance against the occupier, as experience had proven the failure of all diplomatic and political mechanisms to restore the usurped rights in Palestine and Lebanon.

1998-2004: Leader of prisoner liberation deals

In 1998, Sayyed Nasrallah spearheaded the historic deals to free Lebanese and Arab prisoners from the occupation forces' prisons, deals that were sealed by the blood of the fighters and the perseverance of the resistance.

Among the most significant deals were:

• July 26, 1998: The Israeli enemy was compelled to hand over the bodies of 40 Lebanese martyrs and release 60 Lebanese prisoners (including 10 detainees from Israeli prisons and 50 others from the Khiam detention center) in exchange for the remains of Sergeant Itamar Elia, a member of the Israeli Navy commando unit, who was killed along with 11 other Israeli officers and soldiers during a special mission in Lebanon at the Ansariya ambush in 1997.
   
• December 29, 2004: Hezbollah concluded a historic, German-mediated prisoner exchange deal with Israel – the largest and most important of its kind in the history of the conflict. This agreement saw the release of all Lebanese prisoners from Israeli prisons, with the exception of Samir Kuntar.

The exchange included 23 Lebanese prisoners, the remains of 59 Lebanese resistance fighters, and 400 Palestinians, in addition to prisoners of various Arab nationalities: five Syrians, one Libyan, three Moroccans, three Sudanese, and a German Muslim prisoner.

In return, the occupying entity received Israeli intelligence officer Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers who had been killed during their capture in 2000.

July 12-August 14, 2006: Promise Fulfilled and ‘New Middle East’ Project foiled

On July 12, 2006, the Lebanese witnessed Operation "True Promise," a military operation carried out by Hezbollah along the Lebanese-Palestinian border, fulfilling a long-standing commitment to free Lebanese prisoners and detainees held in the prisons of the temporary entity, most notably the dean of prisoners, Samir Kuntar.

Sayyed Nasrallah had promised to free Kuntar, which was realized two years later in a prisoner exchange on July 16, 2008. The Israeli enemy sought to exploit the capture by implementing a plan to dominate the region through Lebanon.

Their goal was to execute the ‘New Middle East’ project and redraw the region in accordance with Zionist-American interests.

However, the resistance, as Sayyed Nasrallah puts it, “destroyed the 'Greater Israel' project, which attacked the entire region and acted arrogantly, threateningly, and riotously.” (May 9, 2022)

The aggression lasted 33 days, during which the resistance demonstrated unparalleled steadfastness and the noblest forms of confrontation. Under the leadership of Sayyed Nasrallah, the resistance waged a psychological war against Zionist leaders, soldiers, and settlers, while also strengthening both the supportive environment and the military front.

This history – the history of victories – is written on the foreheads of all free people, along the roads of the South and the Bekaa, and on every land trodden by our men, who drove the Zionists out of our country in disgrace.

Yet, what Sayyed Nasrallah achieved goes beyond military success. It runs deeper in politics, religion, and spirit, presenting a far greater threat to the enemy.

The enemy still fails to comprehend that the power of the resistance, which Sayyed Nasrallah established over more than 30 years, is not measured by the number of missiles fired in wars.

There is something more dangerous than that: a resistance society that never forgets revenge!

Over the years, Sayyed Nasrallah has not only trained men capable of achieving the impossible when it comes to liberating the land, but he has also been a father to a community that now constitutes the overwhelming majority of Lebanon.

A society united by the hatred of a single enemy, despite the world's efforts to beautify its image and justify its heinous crimes from the sea to the river. This society raises its children from the cradle to despise Israel: the eternal enemy, both in this world and the hereafter.

What does it mean to be a Shiite of Sayyed Nasrallah's school, in his presence and in his absence? To be a Shiite of Sayyed Nasrallah’s school means not to be shaken by the fear of warplanes overhead… to chant “Labayka” (we answer your call) until your last breath.

This is what it means to be Nasrallah: to shake the world even in martyrdom and to terrify the enemy even more as a martyr.

Lama Al-Makhour is a Lebanese writer who lost several members of her family and friends in the recent Israeli aggression against her country.

(The article was originally written in Arabic and translated into English by Roya Pour Bagher.)

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