Hezbollah Marks Two Years Since Leader Nasrallah's Assassination

Lebanon is marking the second anniversary of the dramatic assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah by Israel. While Hezbollah's leadership projects mourning and many Shiite villages are in tears, significant portions of Lebanon are marking the event with relief and even joy.

Two years after Nasrallah's death in an Israeli assassination during a heavy and daring air attack on Hezbollah's underground military stronghold in Beirut, Shiite villages and the Hezbollah terror organization are commemorating the death of the "chief terrorist" and central figure of the Iranian axis. Hezbollah held a large memorial event at the lavish grave of the eliminated terrorist, during which Nasrallah's successor praised his greatness, influence, and achievements in "leading the resistance."

The terror organization is attempting to leverage these memorial events to reinsert itself into Lebanese political discourse and retain some of the immense relevance it held during the life of its slain leader. Beyond the organization's central events, smaller support demonstrations were held in Shiite villages and population centers.

In contrast to the past, when Hezbollah was a fixture in Lebanese corridors of power, the official Lebanese state has turned its back on the terror organization. Even those previously close to Hezbollah in parliament have avoided attending or echoing the organization's messages.