In the early morning hours of October 1 Israel started a land invasion of Lebanon with the support of its air force and artillery following the bombing of several Lebanese cities, including Beirut. This is the first land invasion since 2006.

The snide assassination of Nasrallah

The assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah goes beyond the immediate confrontation between Israel and its Islamist enemies. Nasrallah was both a leader and a symbol of Iran’s desire for hegemony in the Arab world and in the Middle East. His fighters have promoted the Iranian cause in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and beyond the region in Europe, Africa and Latin America.

Nasrallah was the most powerful man in Lebanon and its de facto ruler, a fact rarely stated by world media and officials. He led the armed forces and the political structure that overshadowed the weakening official state and led the successful rebellion against Israel from 1992 to 2000 and the inconclusive Israeli war in 2006. After the defeat of the pro-Western Lebanese nationalists in 2008, the official government and its Lebanese cabinets were unable to challenge Hezbollah. What are the likely consequences of Nasrallah’s departure? Firstly, the importance of individuals in the political and military leadership should be recalled. Nasrallah, like Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Al-Quds special forces in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was one of the architects of the political and military project that has brought success to Iran over the past two decades. However, these plans, along with the project, were somewhat stalled after the assassination of Suleimani by the Americans in January 2020. Nasrallah’s assassination ends the months-long process of beheading Hezbollah. Chief of Staff Fouad Shukr, head of the Radwan Force Ibrahim Akil, commander of the missile forces Ibrahim Kubaisi and many other non-senior operatives have been victims of the recent Israeli targeted strikes.........

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