Hassan Nasrallah killing reverberates far beyond the Middle-East

United States has now fully sided with Israel in its fiery attacks

By Sushil Kutty

Hassan Nasrallah, one of the Arab world's most charismatic leaders, was the leader of Kashmiri politician Mehbooba Mufti, too. And National Conference leader Omar Abdullah couldn't brush away a tear after the Hezbollah Chief was killed by 5000-pound bombs made in the USA, dropped on Nasrallah by Israel. The United States said Israel would be protected at every cost.

But Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah did not name the US. A young Kashmiri girl appeared on social media and warned that there would be a “Nasrallah born in every Kashmiri home”. The earnestness in her eyes shone like a 5000-watt bulb. Why do young girls always beat young boys by shining bright?

For those who don't know, Nasrallah was the best orator in the Arab world. His last words, however, escaped to the next world without much fuss. Nasrallah was killed on Friday in his Beirut bunker. Also killed was his daughter.

DVDs of Nasrallah's speeches used to sell like fish in a Bengali market. The Lebanese are used to the thump-thump of US-made Israeli bombardment. Did the young Kashmiri girl know that the Lebanese used “lines from Nasrallah DVDs as ringtones” Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah should get hold of a Nasrallah DVD. Nasrallah's enemies knew how formidable a rival he was. The Hezbollah head made his enemies shake in their boots.

His killing shocked Muslims, especially the Shia, across continents. Some media called the killing a “political earthquake”. The Israelis don't seem impressed. Nasrallah built Hezbollah into a powerful terror outfit over a period of 32 years. Part of the reason why the Muslim world is angry is because of the matter of fact manner in which the rest of the world has taken Nasrallah's assassination.

India among them. Nasrallah led a “political party”, not a terror outfit and Hezbollah is more than just a militia. Ask Mehbooba Mufti and she might say “Nasrallah is dead, long live the Hezbollah.”

There will be implications. For the US as well as for Israel. The United States has sent more troops to the Middle East. The region was never a tour, a walk in the woods, for Americans. What can Hezbollah do? Its leadership has been decimated. Experts say Nasrallah's assassination “crossed the threshold of all-out war.”

Hassan Nasrallah didn't see the bombs coming and perhaps didn't take the wave of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah targets in recent weeks less seriously than he should have.

Hezbollah's military wing should take the blame for Nasrallah's death at the hands of bunker-busting bombs. Hezbollah operatives lowered their guard. The slew of targeted assassinations and Israeli air-strikes besides exploding pagers and walkie-talkies!

Nasrallah's distinctive black turban spoke of Nasrallah's “descent” from Prophet Muhammad.

Nasrallah was also behind Lebanon's descent into Hell over 32 years. He was a key strategist, along with Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, of Iran's so-called “Axis of Resistance”. Among Hezbollah's many admirers in the media quotes him: “We reached a conclusion that we cannot rely on the Arab League states, nor on the United Nations. The only way that we have is to take up arms and fight the occupation forces.”

Nasrallah's killing has seen Israel go all out against other enemies— the Houthi and the Islamic fighters in Syria and Lebanon, whoever poses a threat. Hezbollah has 50,000 armed fighters and not all of them hide in bunkers. Abbas al-Musawi, Nasrallah's predecessor, was killed by Israel in 1992. A successor for Nasrallah will be found as if Nasrallah never existed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strike on Nasrallah. More than 80 bunker-busting bombs were dropped on Nasrallah. At the time, Netanyahu was in New York, at the United Nations, where he termed Hezbollah a “quintessential terror organization.”

“It murdered the citizens of many countries represented in this room,” he said, calling Hezbollah's cross-border attacks on Israel intolerable. “I've come here today to say enough is enough.” And then the bombs struck. This time Israel took responsibility. A picture of Netanyahu on the phone confirmed the order for killing Nasrallah.

The USA had only the previous day spoken of working on a “21-day ceasefire”. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the US did not know that it was Israel which killed Nasrallah. Now comes news that US-made 5000-pound “bunker busters” wiped out the “top brass of the Hezbollah”, triggering Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah in far-off Srinagar. At least one Kashmiri politician has asked the Modi government for a three-day “national mourning.”

The little Kashmiri girl who said there will be a “Nasrallah born” in every Kashmiri home must not have known of Hezbollah's terror activities— the suicide bombings and the rocket attacks? Nasrallah lived a lively life and was known as “Abu Hadi—or father of Hadi.” Of things to come, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has gone into hiding from pager and walkie-talkie. Israel and the United States have a pact that nobody who is Israel's enemy will live. Will the little Kashmiri girl before long be saying, “There will be a Khamenei born in every Kashmiri home”?

(IPA Service)